Putin retreats! Russia invasion threat implodes as troops rush back to military bases

The claim signals a potential shift in the Russia–Ukraine conflict, which has taken strength in the past week – with world leaders warning of the possibility of war erupting “any time” and governments urging their citizens to leave Eastern Europe while they still could. On Monday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov said diplomacy was “far from exhausted”.

The tone of the crisis over Ukraine changed slightly as the Kremlin’s top diplomat endorsed more talks to resolve its row with the West in a series of stage-managed, televised meetings.

Mr Lavrov said: “I believe that our possibilities are far from exhausted.

“I would propose continuing and intensifying them.”

President Vladimir Putin responded: “Good.”

Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, suggested they were ready to offer concessions to avert an attack.

READ MORE: Has Putin been SPOOKED? Key sign of Russia’s dramatic U-turn

But even though Russia’s Interfax news agency cited the defence ministry as saying that some — not all — of the large-scale drill exercises across the country had concluded, the more than 100,000 troops massed close to Ukraine’s borders continue to send a worrying message.

New satellite images taken by US company Maxar Technologies on Sunday and Monday and released on Tuesday show significantly increased military activity at several locations near Ukraine including Belarus, Crimea and western Russia.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters 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 Putin to step back.”

His words were echoed on a later call with US President Joe Biden, in which the two leaders agreed there remained “a crucial window for diplomacy and for Russia to step back from its threats towards Ukraine”.

Neither the UK nor the US will send troops to defend Ukraine. However, they stressed that any further Russian incursion “would result in a protracted crisis for Russia with far-reaching damage for both Russia and the world”.

In a less optimistic assessment, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Sky News early on Tuesday morning: “It is still the case that an invasion could be imminent, and it is highly likely.”

Later, on Times Radio, she added: “This could be a long, protracted war, which would, of course, create huge damage for both the people of Ukraine and the people of Russia as well as threatening European security.”

German chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was in Kiev on Monday, is travelling to Moscow to meet Mr Putin on Tuesday to ramp up efforts to prevent war.