“WE MAY be weeks away from a major war in Eastern Europe”, Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely has said in the House of Commons today.

Asking an urgent question on the issue of Ukraine in the Commons, the Conservative MP said: “The tools to prevent war are few but one is an insistence that Nord Stream 2 does not go ahead, and an insistence that gas continues to flow through UK and indeed Poland.”

Nord Stream 2 is an export gas pipeline running from Russia to Europe across the Baltic Sea.

He also said cutting Russia out of the swift international payment system “may amount to a devastating economic blow”.

Mr Seely asked: “Is the UK prepared for Russian actions in cyber, in espionage, aimed at the UK in the case of war?”

He asked if the government agrees that “regardless of whether Russia invades this month or this year”, that Vladimir Putin seeks to “dismember Ukraine”, “shatter the unity of Nato” and “cement Russian identity” as a state opposed to the west.

The government is considering defensive support for Ukraine amid warnings that the country may be weeks away from war with Russia.

Foreign Office minister Vicky Ford told MPs that any “military incursion” by Russia into the Eastern European country would be a “strategic mistake”.

She told the Commons: “The Russian government should expect significant strategic consequences. The costs of an incursion would be catastrophically high.”

She added: “Let us be very clear, we stand by Ukraine and we are considering an extension of purely defensive support to Ukraine to help Ukraine defend itself.

“Putin needs to de-escalate now and return to diplomatic channels.”

Boris Johnson will have further talks with Joe Biden on Tuesday night as Western allies consider how to respond to the situation in Ukraine.

The US president will update the Prime Minister and other European powers on the latest developments after his talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.