The Kremlin has dismissed speculation that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had fallen out of favour with Vladimir Putin, after efforts to organise a summit between the Russian president and his US counterpart Donald Trump were put on ice last month.

Lavrov, 75, a veteran Soviet-era diplomat known for his robust negotiating style, was absent from a big Kremlin meeting this week that he would typically attend, and Putin chose someone else to attend a G20 summit in South Africa later this month, a role that Lavrov has filled in the past.

For two weeks in a row, the Foreign Ministry has also not disclosed Lavrov's travel plans and speaking engagements for the following week.

The developments have fuelled speculation that Lavrov, who has served as foreign minister for more than two de

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