Ukraine could face the worst-case scenario of a Russian invasion as soon as next week, and Europe faced one of its most perilous security situations since the early 20th century, British foreign minister Liz Truss said on Saturday.
"That worst-case scenario could happen as early as next week. The reality is that Russia does want to turn the clock back," Truss told a security conference in Munich.
"In the last week alone, we've seen a doubling of disinformation, and we've seen false flag operations in the Donbass region. I'm afraid that Russia has shown that they are not serious about diplomacy," she added.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday said he wanted to convene a meeting of global powers to secure new security guarantees for Ukraine because the current global system is too weak.
Speaking at the same conference while his country back home was bracing for a possible attack from Russia, Zelenskiy also called on members of the NATO alliance to be honest about whether they wanted Ukraine to join.
France urged its citizens on Saturday to leave the Ukrainian regions of Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk without delay.
A travel advisory issued on the French foreign ministry's website also suggested French citizens in Ukraine should leave if they do not have urgent business there.
Earlier on Saturday, Germany's foreign ministry told German nationals to leave Ukraine.
