NATO is relocating staff from Ukraine's capital Kyiv to Lviv, in the west of the country, and to the Belgian capital Brussels for their safety, an alliance official has said.
"The safety of our personnel is paramount, so staff have been relocated to Lviv and Brussels, the official told AFP, adding that the NATO offices in Ukraine remain operations.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO and the alliance does not have any forces there, but it has maintained two offices in Kyiv since the late 1990s.
Several Western countries have already moved diplomats from Kiev to Lviv, located near the border with Poland, in anticipation of Russian military action.
"Every indication indicates that Russia is planning a full-fledged attack against Ukraine," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.
"We all agree that the risk of an attack is very high," he told German broadcaster ARD on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Mr Stoltenberg has previously said that the alliance will not deploy any forces into Ukraine to defend it from any Russian aggression.
But NATO members have sent forces to neighbouring countries which are alliance members, and Mr Stoltenberg has said NATO member countries will vigorously react to any Russian action in those territories, under its collective defence pact.
The United States dominates NATO, and US President Joe Biden on Friday said he was "convinced" Russia was going to invade Ukraine within the week and have its forces target Kyiv.
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Germany's foreign minister warned against trying to guess or assume Russia's decisions on Ukraine, toning down the rhetoric after Washington's warnings of an imminent invasion.
"We do not know yet if an attack has been decided on," foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, adding that the "threat against Ukraine is very real".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, attending the same conference, also pushed back against Washington's dire predictions.
"We do not think that we need to panic," Mr Zelensky said.
US President Joe Biden had said a day earlier that he was "convinced" Russian President Vladimir Putin had "made the decision" to attack Ukraine, sending fears soaring that a major conflict could break out in Europe.
Ms Baerbock made her remarks after hosting a G7 foreign ministers' meeting on the fringes of the Munich gathering.
The group of seven most developed nations, including the United States, reaffirmed that they were "united" in their support for Ukraine and determined to respond to any violation of its sovereignty, said Ms Baerbock, whose country holds the rotating G7 presidency.
"Pull your troops back, avoid damage to Russia and Ukraine and let us talk," said said in an appeal to Mr Putin.
But the message of unity was slightly undermined by her refusal to echo US claims that Russia could invade Ukraine any moment now.
"In crisis situations, the most inappropriate thing to do is to somehow guess or assume," Ms Baerbock told reporters.
Speaking on the main stage in Munich, Mr Zelensky said it was "difficult for me to judge" the US intelligence behind the warnings, but "I trust Ukrainian intelligence, who understand what's going on along our borders".
He also touched on the toll the incessant threat of war was taking on his country, both on people's mental health and on the economy.
"We need to preserve our stability. We need to keep calm and be adults," he said.
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The Ukranian ambassador to Ireland has urged Ireland to support "tough" sanctions against Russia if it launches an invasion.
''We are grateful to Ireland for its unwavering support,'' Larysa Gerasko told RTÉ News, but added the ''whole world, including Ireland has to act immediately''
Ms Gerasko was speaking at a screening of the documentary 'Just Below the Sky' by Ukranian film Director Ruslan Horovyi.
Ambassador Gerasko urged Ireland to condemn ''shelling and further intentions and aggressions and escalation from Russia''.
She said Ukraninans here are worried about the future of their relatives.
''It is the duty of every Ukranian to defend their motherland incase of further invasion.'' Ms Gerasko said.
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Speaking before the Munich Security Conference, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said political conversations taking place over the next few days will be "absolutely crucial" to reduce tensions and avoid an invasion of Ukraine.
He said the situation in Ukraine is "perhaps the biggest crisis" Europe has seen in decades but there is still time to avoid war.
"That is why there are so many people trying to find a way to defuse tension and - through intense diplomacy and of course clear deterrents - avoid war."
Minister Coveney said "undoubtedly" tension has been increasing for the last two days.
"We saw a number of days ago Russian troops moving away from the border but intelligence from other countries is that there continues to be a build-up. So there are confusing messages."
He said the main focus at the conference will be finding a way forward in terms of diplomatic intervention "to defuse tension rather than what many people see as the inevitability of military conflict.
"That is something that we should work incredibly hard to avoid. The human loss of that conflict would be enormous. This would be the largest military invasion since World War II of any country in Europe."
The minister said the widespread fall-out of that would be enormous and "we would all feel it".
Additional reporting by Dimitri O'Donnell
