Russia-Ukraine crisis: UK nationals told to leave Ukraine

British nationals in Ukraine should leave the country now - "while commercial means are available", the Foreign Office has said.

Earlier, President Joe Biden told US citizens to leave, amid fears of a Russian invasion "any day now".

Russia has repeatedly denied any plans to invade Ukraine despite massing more than 100,000 troops near the border.

The announcement after Boris Johnson told world leaders, in a virtual call, he feared for the security of Europe.

During the talks, Mr Johnson called for allies to have a "heavy package of economic sanctions ready to go" should Russia make the "devastating and destructive decision" to invade Ukraine, Downing Street said.

The leaders agreed that if Russian President Vladimir Putin deescalated "there was another way forward" and they pledged to redouble diplomatic efforts in the coming days, Downing Street said.

The Foreign Office, which also now advises against all travel to Ukraine, estimates there are a few thousand British nationals in Ukraine.

It said that, due to this increased threat, further embassy staff would be withdrawn from Kyiv - the embassy will remain open but be unable to provide in-person consular assistance to any Britons who remain.

A UK government source said the safety of Britons was the "number one priority" and said the decision was "the right precaution to take".

Government sources have described the call hosted by President Biden as "very sobering".

Earlier on Friday, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace met his Russian counterpart Sergei Shogiu and said at a news conference afterwards that an invasion of Ukraine would have "tragic consequences" for both countries.

Mr Wallace said Russian forces were in the position to invade "at any time" but said Mr Shogiu had given him security assurances.

Mr Shogiu said Russia's ties with the UK were "close to zero". But when asked about the state of UK-Russia relations, Mr Wallace said they were "a lot better than 0%" after Friday's talks.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that "an invasion could begin at any time, and to be clear, that includes during the Olympics". The Winter Olympics in China are scheduled to end on 20 February.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned that there continued to be signs of Russian escalation including new forces arriving at the Ukrainian border.

He said "we are in the window of when an invasion begins at any time should Vladimir Putin decide to order it".

The current tensions come eight years after Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula. Since then, Ukraine's military has been locked in a war with Russian-backed rebels in eastern areas near Russia's borders.