British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to pull back from the "brink of the abyss" in the Ukrainian crisis, stating that the situation is "very, very dangerous," with the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine "within the next 48 hours."
In a statement broadcast by British television channels, Johnson said, "The situation is very, very serious and difficult; we are on the brink of the abyss, but there is still time for President Putin to step back."
He added, "We call on everyone to engage in dialogue… to avoid what could be a catastrophic mistake."
A spokesperson for Johnson stated that the Prime Minister decided to cut a trip to North West England to return to London "given the current situation."
After advising its citizens on Friday to leave Ukraine immediately, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is chairing an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon regarding the consular response to the current situation.
Downing Street announced that "Johnson will chair a ministerial crisis meeting on Tuesday."
Johnson intends to visit continental Europe again at the end of the week to discuss matters with leaders of Nordic and Baltic states.
The spokesperson clarified that the Prime Minister will speak with "many leaders, including (U.S. President) Joe Biden, soon."
Johnson urged Western leaders to "show a united front" in the current crisis, particularly European nations, to reduce their reliance on Russian gas by abandoning the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that connects Russia and Germany.
While Kyiv accuses Washington and London of stirring fears of an imminent Russian invasion, Boris Johnson affirmed that "the evidence is very clear. There are about 130,000 troops on the Ukrainian border, and all other indicators point to serious preparations for an invasion."
He added, "The signals, as President (Joe) Biden has said, show that they (the Russians) are planning for something that could happen within the next 48 hours."
