Boris Johnson has warned of a “very, very dangerous and difficult situation” as the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine leaves the world “on the edge of a precipice”.

The prime minister did not dismiss suggestions that Russia could take military action against its neighbour in the next 48 hours.

Asked how likely he believed an invasion of Ukraine to be, Mr Johnson replied: “I think the evidence is pretty clear. You’ve got about 130,000 troops massing on the Ukrainian border.

“There’s all sorts of other signs that show there are serious preparations for invasion.

“We’ve got to respect that, we’ve got to realise this is a very, very dangerous and difficult situation.

“We are on the edge of a precipice. But there is still time for President Putin to step back.

“And what we are urging is for everyone to engage in dialogue, for a conversation to take place and for the Russians to avoid what I think everybody – certainly everybody in the UK – can see would be a disastrous mistake, disastrous for Russia.”

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