Foreign Secretary warns a Russian attack still remains ‘imminent’ and Europe is teetering ‘on the brink of war’

The British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has warned on Tuesday that time is running out to find a diplomatic solution with Russia and Europe is teetering on “the brink of war.”

Truss said that a Russian attack will “not stop at Ukraine” which could lead to further conflicts with other countries and the stability of Europe is hanging in the balance.

The Foreign Secretary told Sky News, “If we saw an invasion into Ukraine, there would be severe costs in terms of a long-running conflict, we could see the undermining of security more broadly in Europe and could see other aggressors around the world see it as an opportunity to expand their ambitions too.

“This is a very dangerous moment for the world.

“The big risk, of course, is if there is an invasion into Ukraine that will be hugely damaging for Russia and Ukraine. And it will further undermine the stability of Europe.

“This, I fear, would not stop at Ukraine.

“This is an attack on the neighbouring states of Russia and other east European countries in trying to undermine legitimacy of them being part of NATO.”

Truss said she is “very worried about the situation” as “we could be on the brink of war in Europe, which would have severe consequences not just for the people of Russia and Ukraine, but also for the broader security of Europe.

“There is still time for Vladimir Putin to step away from the brink. But there is only a limited amount of time for him to do that.”

The Russian President and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have both agreed to continue with negotiations.

The Russian Military of Defence has said on Tuesday some military units are returning back to their bases after carrying out planned training exercises.

A number of troops on Ukraine border have started to head back to their bases on Tuesday and the Russian Foreign Ministry said the West has been “humiliated” as they have warned of an invasion into Ukraine.

There are still tens of thousands of Russian troops on Ukraine border who are still carrying out military drills on land and Sea, Moscow confirmed.

However Olga Tokariuk who is a correspondent in Kyiv said that some troops returning back to their bases should be treated “with extreme caution.”

She said, “I take the news that Russia announced it begins to withdraw troops from the Ukrainian border with extreme caution.

“First, let’s see if they actually do it.

“Second, last May Russians said the same, but in fact left most military hardware behind, in order to be able to return fast”