
MOSCOW, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday dismissed Western media speculation that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has fallen out of favour.
Lavrov, 75, a veteran Soviet-era diplomat known for his robust negotiating style, was absent from a big Kremlin meeting earlier this month that he would typically attend, and Putin chose someone else to attend a G20 summit in South Africa, a role that Lavrov has filled in the past.