Russian Security Council discusses the situation of Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on Friday evening with permanent members of the Russian Security Council on domestic and foreign policy, discussing the situation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, reports Interfax-religion.

“The meeting discussed issues of the domestic socio-economic agenda. International issues were also considered," said Press Secretary of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov.

“There was also an exchange of views on the situation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine after the famous decision of the Patriarchate of Constantinople,” said Peskov.

It referred to the situation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine after the decision by the synod of the Constantinople Patriarchate to grant the autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine, the abolition of the letter of 1686 about the transfer of the Kyiv Metropolis to the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate and the statement on restoration of the Stauropigy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Kyiv,” reads the statement that was posted later on the Kremlin website.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Speakers of both parliament chambers, Valentin Matvienko and Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the Kremlin Administration Anton Vine, Secretary of the Council of Defense Nikolai Patrushev, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu, Director of the FSB Oleksandr Bortnikov, Chief of Foreign Intelligence Services Sergei Naryshkin, Special Representative of the President for Environmental Protection, Environment and Transportation Sergey Ivanov.