Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting of the Security Council. The meeting discussed the progress of the military operation in Ukraine, as well as issues of the socio-economic agenda. This was reported by the Kremlin press service. They did not provide other details of the meeting.

"There was an exchange of views on the course of the special military operation. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed the meeting about his visit to the operation's headquarters earlier this week," the Kremlin said. They added that Vladimir Putin told members of the Security Council about recent international negotiations.

Today, January 20, the Kremlin reported on telephone conversations between Vladimir Putin and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The presidents discussed the development of partnership between the two countries, including interaction in the field of energy. Also this week, on January 16, Mr. Putin spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During their conversation, they discussed a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine and the creation of a gas hub in Turkey.