Putin clings to semblance of normality as his war in Ukraine grinds on

Kremlin leader projects image of business as usual; no sign that Putin seeks exit from war he started; Russia builds momentum in Donbas but US steps up arms to Kyiv

Approaching the 100-day mark in a war that he refuses to call by its name, Russian President Vladimir Putin is a man intent on conveying the impression of business as usual.

As his army fought its way into the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk this week, Putin was making awkward small talk in a televised ceremony to honour parents of exceptionally large families.

Since the start of May, he has met - mostly online - with educators, oil and transport bosses, officials responsible for tackling forest fires, and the heads of at least a dozen Russian regions, many of them thousands of miles