Russian President Putin, amid speculation of a rift in the Kremlin, surprised reporters in Kyrgyzstan by publicly brushing off a remark from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as “nonsense,” breaking his usual tightly controlled protocol and offering a rare glimpse of disagreement inside Russia’s foreign‑policy team. The off‑the‑cuff comment, made during his state visit and joint events around the CSTO summit, appeared to signal that Putin alone will define Russia’s messaging on Ukraine and relations with the West, even when it means undercutting his veteran diplomat on camera. The moment has fueled speculation about tensions within Moscow’s elite and about how closely Lavrov’s public lines now track the Kremlin leader’s own thinking.