British troops will not be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a conflict with Russia, the armed forces minister has said.

James Heapey said British people in Ukraine should ‘leave now’ as the military will not help them flee the country if it is invaded.

He said Russia could invade ‘with very little notice’ and that an attack was feasible ‘at any moment’.

Countries around the world are scrambling to prevent this, but many have ruled out assisting Ukraine on the ground.

‘There will be no British troops in Ukraine if there is any conflict with Russia,’ Mr Heapy said.

‘British nationals in Ukraine should leave immediately by any means possible.

‘They should not expect as they saw in the summer with Afghanistan, that there will be any possibility of a military evacuation, they should leave now.’

Russia has denied it is planning to invade despite massing 100,000 troops at the border.

But it has just started massive military drills with neighbouring Belarus, while Ukraine has accused it of blocking its access to the sea.

And earlier this week, Russian president Vladimir Putin called his country ‘one of the leading nuclear states’ and warned Europe not to get sucked into war, adding: ‘There will be no winners, and you will be pulled into this conflict against your will.

Countries around the world are scrambling to find a diplomatic solution.

US intelligence agencies believe at attack could happen as soon as Wednesday.

But they don’t know if Mr Putin has actually made the decision to invade.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

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