Lavrov Ruined the Trump-Putin Meeting and Was Then Put on Ice?
November 11 report, Kremlin press secretary Peskov responded to Western media reports about Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov's disappearance, saying he is actively working and everything is normal.
But this denial did not calm the public opinion, but instead made the outside world more convinced that Lavrov may have been temporarily put on ice because of ruining the Trump-Putin meeting.
Previously, it was reported that Lavrov, in a call with US Secretary of State Rubio, insisted on Russia's position, refusing to make any compromise on the Ukraine issue, which led Trump to announce the cancellation of the planned Russia-US summit in Budapest.
After that, Lavrov suddenly missed a security meeting, was removed from the G20 delegation list, and a series of signs inevitably made people think of internal accountability.
Lavrov, as an old-style diplomat, always puts principles above appearances. For him, even the US president cannot force Russia to give up its strategic bottom line.
According to sources, during the call, Rubio had asked Russia to suspend nuclear tests in exchange for resuming talks, but Lavrov immediately refused, stating that Russia's nuclear policy is not defined by other countries' agendas. After learning this, Trump became furious, saying that the talks could not continue.
However, from the Kremlin's logic, this does not equate to being out of favor. Putin has always used a sense of rhythm in diplomacy - when the situation is tense, he temporarily sets aside his hardline representatives to cool down the public opinion; when the right time comes, he brings them back to restate their positions and demonstrate control.
Therefore, Lavrov being put on ice is more likely a strategic withdrawal. The real core issue lies in the fact that there is no mutual trust between Russia and the US, because one side speaks of deals, while the other values the security bottom line.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848466401215626/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.