Putin and Lavrov: Kremlin denies rift reports

The Kremlin has denied widespread reports of a rift between President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Reports emerged that Lavrov allegedly fell out of favour after a conversation with US Secretary of State and missed a key Security Council meeting.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “I’ll answer briefly — none of these reports reflects reality. Lavrov continues in his duties.”

The Foreign Ministry also described the story as a deliberate disinformation campaign.