Vladimir Putin better informed now about Ukraine war, says US

Speaking at a defence forum late on Saturday, Avril Haines, the US director of national intelligence, indicated Putin was no longer as insulated from bad news about the conditions facing his invasion of Ukraine as he was earlier in the campaign.

However, with heavy fighting continuing around the key Donbas town of Bakhmut, where Russian forces have been struggling for six months to make minimal progress, and an attempted Ukrainian offensive reported around Kreminna in recent days, the political and security conditions for a Putin visit appear inauspicious.

Reports on social media also suggested Ukrainian forces were making progress in operations on the east bank of the Dnipro River, opposite the recently liberated city of Kherson, after a reported amphibious landing on the Kinburn Spit last month.

While Ukrainian operations east of the river have been under an operational news blackout, Vitaly Kim, the governor of Mykolaiv oblast, has previously confirmed the presence of Ukrainian forces in the area.

Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, the US and the 27-nation European Union agreed on Friday to cap what they would pay for Russian oil at $60 a barrel. The limit is due to take effect on Monday, along with an EU embargo on Russian oil shipped by sea.

Russian authorities have rejected the price cap and on Saturday threatened to stop supplying the nations that endorsed it.

Agencies contributed to this report