Kremlin Responds to Claims of Putin-Lavrov Dispute over Trump

A planned meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents was canceled following a call between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Kremlin dismissed media claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin had clashed with Lavrov regarding this decision.

According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the reports of a disagreement are baseless. He confirmed that Lavrov remains in his role as foreign minister.

“There is nothing true in these reports,” said Peskov, as cited by the state news agency TASS.

“Of course, Lavrov continues to serve as foreign minister,” he added.

The canceled summit, initially set to take place in Hungary, followed a preparatory conversation that showed limited prospects for advancing peace in Ukraine. The United States had also indicated that no ceasefire was expected. President Donald Trump, working to broker peace, met with Putin in Alaska in August, but Russia has since escalated its attacks on Ukraine, testing Trump’s diplomatic efforts.

Trump aims to end the conflict by combining economic pressure—through sanctions and secondary tariffs—with renewed diplomatic engagement, of which the planned Budapest meeting was intended as a key step.

Lavrov did not attend a recent Security Council meeting of permanent members, during which Putin requested a report on preparations for possible nuclear testing should the U.S. proceed with related measures. An unnamed source told Kommersant that Lavrov voluntarily chose to skip the meeting despite his permanent seat on the council.

Author’s Summary

The Kremlin denied claims of tension between Putin and Lavrov after a planned Trump-Putin summit was dropped, reaffirming unity despite rising strain over Ukraine and stalled peace efforts.