videos | This is how Sergei Lavrov changed
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“There is such a joke: Our conscience is clear – because we rarely use it. But in this particular case, it is completely true,” Lavrov joked, denying any responsibility for the failure of the summit in Budapest.
But there is no certainty whether Lavrov has resolved his problems with his appearance, explained political scientist Dmitri Oreshkin (not to be confused with the deputy head of the presidential administration, Maxim Oreshkin) in an interview with the independent TV channel Dozhd. “We are ready, we are not resisting, we are preparing – the fact that he often talks about ‘we’ makes it clear that he sees himself as a member of Putin’s team.”
Putin is currently not interested in immediately firing him. “But it cannot be denied that Lavrov’s position has weakened significantly,” said the longtime Kremlin watcher. There is competition between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the presidential administration regarding Russia’s representation in international politics. And in recent months, the presidential administration has had the upper hand. “But Lavrov got up from his knees after the knockout,” believes Oreshkin.
Russian political experts do not believe that dismissal is imminent. However, Lavrov’s position is not in good condition. “The following factors explain this: Peskov immediately denied that Lavrov had fallen in love. And if Peskov said A, then B was true,” Oreshkin mentioned. Lavrov’s absence from the Security Council meeting was also a public slap in the face.
But the clearest sign of Lavrov’s weakening was his sudden change of opinion regarding the outcome of the meeting between Putin and Trump in Alaska. State Department officials have repeatedly said that the spirit of Anchorage is dead. “Until the adviser to the Russian President Ushakov raised his voice and protested,” explained the political scientist. After all, Putin couldn’t have gone to Alaska for free. “This is a direct blow to Lavrov’s spleen.”
As a result, the Minister of Foreign Affairs took a path that was completely contrary to his previous stance. Now the summit in Alaska is considered correct. “Lavrov understands that he has made a mistake and is trying his best to correct it,” Oreshkin said. “Things like this usually don’t work out in the end. The stigma of missteps still exists.” But the immediate dismissal of Lavrov is not in Putin’s interests at this time. According to the political scientist, Putin needs someone who can play the bad cop while he can play the good cop.
