Boris Johnson to hold crisis talks with Biden as he warns Russia is on 'edge of precipice' of war with Ukraine

• Boris Johnson is expected to speak to Joe Biden on Monday, warning Russia could invade Ukraine within 48 hours.
• The prime minister urged Russia to back away from "the precipice" and warned of repercussions.

Boris Johnson is to hold crisis talks with Joe Biden over growing concerns of a possible invasion of Ukraine as he urged Russia to back away from the "edge of the precipice."

The UK prime minister, who is currently in Scotland as part of efforts to strengthen the union and trumpet plans for new freeports, said he would be speaking to "various leaders, including Joe Biden, very soon."

It is understood the call has been scheduled for this afternoon, amid growing fears President Vladimir Putin could order an invasion of Ukraine imminently.

Johnson said the move could come "as early as the next 48 hours."

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is also set to chair an emergency COBRA meeting on Monday afternoon, with Johnson expected to "chair a full meeting of Cobra to discuss the UK's response to the current situation" on Tuesday, a Number 10 spokesperson said.

Johnson told broadcasters on Monday: "This is a very, very dangerous, difficult situation. We are on the edge of a precipice, but there is still time for President [Vladimir] Putin to step back."

It would be "disastrous – disastrous for Russia" if it invaded Ukraine, he added.

The prime minister also took a veiled sideswipe at Germany and other European countries for their less robust approach to Russian aggression, owing to their dependency on gas.

Johnson told broadcasters: "What I think all European countries need to do now is get Nord Stream out of the bloodstream," referring to the undersea Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline currently in development.

"Yank out that that hypodermic drip feed of Russian hydrocarbons that is keeping so many European economies going," Johnson said.

"We need to find alternative sources of energy ... and get ready to impose some very, very severe economic consequences on Russia."

While the prime minister expressed hope of a solution through dialogue, the tone has increasingly shifted away from such a route.

Speaking just minutes before, the prime minister's official spokesman told reporters the UK had "seen no signs so far that Russia will back down," with intelligence "painting a fairly clear picture" of the Kremlin's intentions.

"There are more than 130,000 Russian troops on the border of Ukraine and we are gravely concerned," he said. "We will continue to be upfront and open about what we believe Russia's intentions to be … there are no signs, as we speak, of deescalation."

The spokesman indicated that Parliament could be recalled if the invasion took place during recess, saying that while those conversations had not yet taken place, "you would expect Parliament to want to be updated and have its say."