Sergey Lavrov told the truth for the first time in a long time. And it sounds like a verdict for the entire Kremlin policy. If I were Putin, I would fire him, writes Konstantin Eggert.
If I were Vladimir Putin, I would fire Sergei Lavrov. At a conference on July 28, the Foreign Minister said the following: "For the first time in its history, Russia is fighting alone against the entire West. Both during the First World War and during the Second, we had allies. Now we have no allies on the battlefield, which is why we have to rely on ourselves. We must not allow weakness".
Will Putin remove Lavrov?
After all, the minister mentioned North Korea and Belarus in his speech as allies. But in that case, it turns out that they are somehow "inferior"?
It also turns out that the Russian foreign ministers, who were in power during both World Wars I and II, coped with the task of providing the country with allies, while Lavrov did not. Since the president, the supreme commander, the "national leader", etc., cannot be held guilty of anything "by definition" - is that right?
At the same time, Putin's minister twice praised Donald Trump for his "pragmatism". The explanation: the Russian regime hopes that the White House will continue contacts with the Kremlin and not introduce new sanctions. But Lavrov's speech was written before Trump's statement that he was shortening the term of his ultimatum to Russia from 50 to 10-12 days. Could it be that Trump will soon become a "warmonger" too?
Lavrov also delivered desperate praise for "great India" - against the backdrop of Delhi's stated readiness to abandon purchases of Russian oil if America introduces sanctions against countries that import fuel from Putin. In short, the minister's speech sounded like a pitiful mixture of frivolous audacity and fear.
Of course, Putin will not fire Lavrov. But not because he is competent - he managed to fail even the case for the international protection of the regime. And not because the dictator is ashamed to expel his servant, who is actually only the executor of his geopolitical whims. Not because there are no candidates for Lavrov's post.
Lavrov will remain in his post because Putin fears that the replacement of the minister will be perceived as a readiness for a change in policy. This, in turn, will be interpreted as weakness, and not only in the world, but also within the regime.
The problem not only of diplomacy, but also of the entire policy of current Russia is that the fear of showing weakness is in fact a sign of real weakness. Putin may understand this, but the fear of not showing weakness is stronger anyway.
Russian foreign policy has no connection with reality
The inability to change course in the fourth year of aggression looks increasingly strange, especially against the background of the lack of military successes. And not only in the eyes of the West, but also for Putin's relatives Narendra Modi in India and Xi Jinping in China. Xi is very hopeful of organizing a meeting between Putin and Trump in Beijing on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. But so far he has only received a message from Kremlin spokesman Peskov that this is "not excluded". That is - you make an effort, and we will see.
Against all this, the participation of the Speaker of the Federation Council of Russia Valentina Matvienko (who is on the list of persons sanctioned by the West for Russian military aggression against Ukraine - ed.) in a meaningless parliamentary conference in Switzerland was defined by Lavrov as a diplomatic triumph. But, despite all the just public indignation at the characterlessness of the Swiss, if this is a success, what would failure look like?
The Russian regime, lulled by the passivity of Russian society and deprived since 2022 of constant contacts with leading Western countries, is pursuing, if we think about it, a completely incompetent policy, even if it is based on benefits for itself. Over the years, I have repeatedly heard the phrase from familiar diplomats: "You may not agree with Lavrov, but he is still a professional". However, even Russia's anti-Western friends are tired of listening to lies about "Ukronazis", about "the necessary special military operation" and "the salvation of Russians". The rhetoric of Putin, Lavrov and others is no longer any different from the slogans of the Slobodan Milosevic regime in the last years of its existence.
History never repeats itself, and no one knows what the fate of the Russian dictatorship will be. But its foreign policy is increasingly divorced from reality. Does the "professional" Lavrov understand this? It is possible. But that is no longer important at all.