US warns of ‘distinct possibility’ Russia will invade Ukraine within days

The US has warned of the "very distinct possibility" of a Russian invasion of Ukraine in the next few days, potentially involving an overwhelming attack on Kyiv, and told all remaining Americans to leave the country in the next 48 hours.

Diplomatic sources said that Joe Biden had told allies leaders in a call that Vladimir Putin had taken a decision to go ahead with an invasion, but Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, said that the US did not believe the Putin had given "a final go order".

"I will say that the way that he has built up his forces and put them in place, along with the other indicators that we have collected through intelligence, makes it clear to us that there is a very distinct possibility that Russia will choose to act militarily, and there is reason to believe that that could happen on a reasonably swift timeframe," Sullivan said.

"Now, we can't pinpoint the day at this point, and we can't pinpoint the hour but what we can say is that there is a credible prospect that a Russian military action would take place, even before the end of the Olympics." The Winter Olympics in China close on 20 February.

Biden has told other Nato and EU leaders that the US believes Putin has decided to carry out an invasion of Ukraine, which could happen in the next few days, according to diplomatic sources.

The two leaders were due to speak by phone on Saturday, the White House and the Kremlin confirmed.

Biden's call to allies followed a situation room meeting at the White House to discuss the latest intelligence on the Russian military buildup, and on Putin's thinking.