Ukrainian leaders: Stay calm, Russian invasion not imminent

By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s leaders are seeking to reassure the nation that a feared invasion from neighboring Russia is not imminent. Those comments came even as they acknowledged the threat is real and received a shipment of American military equipment to shore up their defenses. Russia denies it is planning an assault. But it has massed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine in recent weeks, leading the United States and its NATO allies to rush to prepare for a possible war. Several rounds of high stakes diplomacy have failed to yield any breakthroughs. U.S. President Joe Biden said Russia “continues to build forces along Ukraine’s border,” and an attack “would be the largest invasion since World War II.”