British defense minister ending vacation to deal with ‘worsening’ Ukraine crisis

British defense minister Ben Wallace said he’s ending his vacation early to deal with the “worsening” Ukraine-Russia crisis.

In a tweet on Sunday, Wallace said he and his family had planned to spend a weekend in Moscow after completing diplomatic talks the prior week prior.

“having returned from Moscow early on Saturday morning and because we are concerned about the worsening situation in Ukraine i have cancelled a planned long weekend abroad with my family and will be returning,” Wallace wrote.

According to media outlet ITV, Wallace announced his change of plans after one of its journalists spotted him at a European resort and asked the Ministry of Defense for comment, Reuters reported. 

An unnamed government official told Reuters only that Wallace was on a trip to an undisclosed location with his family.

U.S. and U.K. officials have warned that Russia could invade Ukraine in the coming days. 

Talking to the Sunday Times, Wallace that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is “highly likely,” adding Russia could “launch an offensive at any time.”

“The worrying thing is that, despite the massive amount of increased diplomacy, that military build-up has continued,” Wallace told the newspaper.

Intelligence obtained by the U.S. says that Russia is eyeing Wednesday as the target date for an invasion, according to The Associated Press.

U.S. officials warned on Sunday that while the diplomatic path to easing tensions between Russia and Ukraine remains open, the window for dialogue is “shrinking” as Moscow accelerates its military buildup near the Ukrainian border.