Boris Johnson has today warned it would be a 'disaster for the world' if Russia invades Ukraine, as Vladimir Putin continues to mass troops along the border.
The UK Prime Minister said that 'any kind of incursion, on any scale' would be 'a disaster not just for Ukraine but for Russia' as NATO allies try to dissuade the Russian strongman from launching an attack the Pentagon warns is 'imminent'.
Mr Johnson's remark comes after President Biden appeared to suggest that a 'minor incursion' by Russia into Ukraine would prompt only a limited NATO response.
Britain has been supplying military aid in an attempt to deter an attack by Putin, with Mr Johnson saying today he stands 'four-square' behind the country's sovereignty.
Boris Johnson has warned it would be 'a disaster for the world' if Russia were to invaded Ukraine, as Putin continues massing his forces on the border
Putin has demanded cast iron guarantees that Ukraine will never be allowed to join NATO, which have so-far been rebuffed by Joe Biden (right)
Biden's words, attacked by Ukrainian officials as giving Putin a 'green light' to invade, forced the White House to clarify - with staff insisting he was referring to non-military attacks such as cyber warfare.
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have been building since November last year, when Putin began massing troops on the border.
He has since issued a list of demands to NATO, including that Ukraine be banned from joining the alliance and that troops be removed from ex-Soviet states.
That has forced the US and its allies to the negotiating table, though NATO has described most of Russia's demands as 'non-starters'.
With little progress in talks, Putin has continued massing his forces while announcing a series of large-scale war games that could serve to disguise an invasion.
On Wednesday, Putin and ally Alexander Lukashenko - dictatorial leader of Belarus - announced joint war games as troops began moving on to Belarusian soil.
Today, Russia's defence ministry announced a huge naval drill that will take place between January and February in four seas - Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, and Mediterranean.
The drill will involve 'more than 140 warships and support vessels, more than 60 aircraft, 1,000 pieces of military equipment, and about 10,000 servicemen', the ministry said.
Satellite images dated January 19 show a battlegroup deployed at Voronezh base around 200 miles from the Ukraine border as Moscow ramps up a military build up along the frontier in preparation for a 'nine-month war'
The region has been on a knife-edge since the end of last year when Moscow moved as many as 100,000 troops, as well as tanks and missiles, close to the border (pictured, a battle group deployment in Voronezh, Russia, near the Ukrainian border on January 19)
Satellite images dated January 19 showed rows of tank artillery and support equipment massed at Yelnya, 77 miles from Russia's border with Belarus, after a months-long build-up of troops along the border with Ukraine
Other images show military equipment gathered at two bases, Klintsky and Klimovo, (pictured) that sit only 18 miles from the Belarusian frontier and no more than 31 miles from Russia's border with Ukraine
Satellite images dated January 19 show a battlegroup deployed at Voronezh base around 200 miles from the Ukraine border with rows of tank artillery and support equipment massed at Yelnya, 77 miles from Russia's border with Belarus.
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