Russia-Ukraine war - live: Putin expected to make G20 speech today as Moscow scales back Avdiivka attacks

Vladimir Putin is expected to make a shock G20 speech today, as reports say Moscow is scaling back attacks on Avdiivka. The Kremlin said on Monday that the president will set out Russia’s view of what it sees as the “deeply unstable world situation” when he addresses an upcoming virtual G20 summit. Russian state TV presenter Pavel Zarubin said on his Telegram channel on Sunday that it would be the “first event in a long time” including both Putin and Western leaders. It comes as he has scaled back his assault on Avdiivka and shelling in Kherson Oblast due to poor weather conditions, Kyiv’s military officials said. “Russian occupying forces have reduced the number of ground and air attacks, though they still violate the rules of war by shooting at medical teams and evacuation vehicles,” said Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun. However, the spokesperson warned that Russia had not abandoned their plans to surround Avdiivka, as Ukrainian forces repelled eight attacks on Tuesday. Military officials in Kherson Oblast also said Russian shelling on the west bank had decreased due to poor weather conditions, war monitoring think tank The Instititue for the Study of War said. Read More Putin may start sourcing ballistic missiles from Iran, warns White House Putin scales back attack on Ukraine’s strategic Avdiivka town after heavy Russian losses Ukraine may fail to meet future grain demands amid non-stop Russian attacks, says UN