Ukraine believes Russian invasion not imminent, but Western allies remain concerned

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• Judy Woodruff:

  Ukraine's leaders tried today to reassure their population, despite more than 100,000 Russian troops deployed near the nation's northern and eastern borders, and despite new announcements of Russian training exercises.

  The U.S. and Western countries consider an invasion as possibly imminent, and that fear is being felt on Ukraine's front lines.

  Nick Schifrin begins our coverage.

• Nick Schifrin:

  On the front lines of an 8-year-old war, the defenses are centuries-old trenches. And the target practice? The man who has this site in his targets.

  In Eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian soldiers skirmish daily with Russian-backed separatists. Since the spring of 2014, 14,000 soldiers and civilians have died. That toll leaves troops already fighting a generational conflict in fear of a new invasion.

• Oleh Surhov, Ukrainian Soldier (through translator):

  Russia is not interested in talks. They have their own plans and tasks to execute. They won't stop. There's no negotiating with them.

• Nick Schifrin:

  There's no sign of Russia stopping its buildup. Today, the Russian Defense Ministry released new video of soldiers training to fight near the Ukraine border, and deploying precision-guided medium-range Iskander missiles that could successfully target Ukrainian airfields and bases.

  The U.S. is sending its own military messages. For the second day in a row, American ammunition arrived in Kiev. And the U.S. made sure to highlight it by organizing a press conference with the U.S.' top diplomat in Kiev, Kristina Kvien.

  Kristina Kvien, Charge D'affaires, U.S. Embassy in Ukraine: Let me underscore that Russian soldiers sent to Ukraine at the behest of the Kremlin will face fierce resistance.

• Nick Schifrin:

  In Parliament, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned, a new Ukraine war would be as deadly as any in Europe since World War II.

• Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister:

  Ukrainians have every moral and legal right to defend their country, and I believe their resistance would be dogged and tenacious, and the bloodshed comparable to the first war in Chechnya or Bosnia, Mr. Speaker, or any other conflict that Europe has endured since 1945.

• Nick Schifrin:

  But Ukraine's president says he does not believe invasion is imminent, and he released a video today urging the country to remain calm.

• Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian President (through translator):

  Protect your body from viruses, your brain from lies, your brain from lies, your heart from panic.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Ukrainian and Western officials diverge over to the threat and how best to deter Russia from launching war, especially over the timing of sanctions.

  In Washington today, for the first time, President Biden endorsed sanctions targeted directly at Vladimir Putin.

• Question:

  Would you ever see yourself personally sanctioning him if he did invade Ukraine?

• President Joe Biden:

  Yes.

• Question:

  You would?

• President Joe Biden:

  I would see that.

• Nick Schifrin:

  But there's no sign anything is leading Russia to de-escalate. It announced more military drills across the country today.

  For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Nick Schifrin.