ADIIVKA, Ukraine — Washington is raising rhetoric about building up Russian forces near the Ukrainian border, but Ukraine’s president is showing calm.

That sense of calm is reflected in the opinions of many in eastern Ukraine, which is as likely as any place to see fighting first, although Russia has denied any plans for an invasion.

A senior US administration official said the White House believes highlighting their concerns will deter the Kremlin from an invasion.

In recent days, senior US officials have spoken to the media to issue grim warnings that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could lead to between 25,000 and 50,000 civilian deaths and a refugee crisis that could spread to the ‘Europe. Biden himself encouraged key American diplomats to leave Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is balancing worries about an invasion with fears that alarm bells could destroy Ukraine’s economy with barely a shot.

On Tuesday, he said his people would not respond to provocations.

“We are defending our country and we are on our own territory. Our patience can have an impact on provocations, when we do not respond to provocations but behave with great dignity,” Zelenskyy said Tuesday during an appearance with the French President Emmanuel Macron, according to The Associated Press.

Although Russia denies planning an invasion of Ukraine, it has rounded up around 100,000 troops on the border and presented a series of demands it says will improve security in Europe. These demands include the promise that NATO will not invite Ukraine and the guarantee that the alliance will withdraw troops from Eastern Europe.

But the United States and the Western alliance have firmly rejected any concessions to Moscow’s suggestions. Many of Russia’s demands are not valid for NATO, creating a stalemate that many fear will end in war.

Last week, the Pentagon announced that it was sending 3,000 American troops to Eastern Europe. About 2,000 of these personnel will be deployed from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Poland and Germany. A thousand additional soldiers based in Germany will be sent to Romania.

“The current situation demands that we reinforce the eastern flank,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said last Wednesday.

In the past, Putin has expressed frustration with the Soviet breakup of certain countries, such as Belarus and Ukraine. According to an analysis by the Associated Press, Putin considers these countries to be part of a historic Russian linguistic and Orthodox homeland.