COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Some now living in central Ohio once called Ukraine home.

And they still have family members in the country as tensions between Ukraine and Russia escalate amid signs of a potential invasion.

For now, those family members are OK, but Ukrainians here in Ohio are worried for them, with one woman saying it’s hard to see this happening from so far away, but adding it is much more difficult for those in Ukraine right now who are dealing with the situation.

Marianna Klochko is the president of the Ukrainian Cultural Association of Central Ohio and has lived in the United States since 1998.

“Our pain is mostly psychological,” she said. “Their pain is going to be on much more physical, safety, and economic disaster level.”

While Klochko’s immediate family is in the U.S., she still has extended family – cousins, uncles, and aunts – as well as friends who are in Ukraine right now.

She said one of the hardest things for people there is the uncertainty, saying people are worrying about what if there is an attack, but they are not with their loved ones when it comes.

“People are talking about the meeting points; people are talking about the plan A, plan B, but to even think that and plan for it, if you could put yourself in their shoes, you would see it’s not an easy feat and it’s just very taxing psychologically,” Klochko said.

Russia on Sunday rescinded earlier pledges to pull tens of thousands of its troops back from Ukraine’s northern border, in a move that U.S. leaders warned put Russia another step closer to launching an invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin was silent on Ukraine’s appeal for a cease-fire.

Late Sunday evening, the office of French President Emmanuel Macron said Putin and President Joe Biden have agreed in principle to a summit over Ukraine provided Russia does not invade the country.

Klochko is hoping central Ohioans are following what is happening in eastern Europe, as is Iryna Petrowsky, also part of the Ukrainian Cultural Association.

“Hopefully, the world screaming loud, that might deter from really doing any drastic measures and invading,” Petrowsky said. “That’s the hope. We don’t know, but it’s very uncertain. For people in Ukraine, in larger cities, in smaller villages, it’s very scary.”

She still has family living in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.

“And in the last week, it becomes bigger and bigger reality that it’s in danger,” Petrowsky said. “It’s in danger of the real invasion.

Klochko said the Ukrainian Cultural Association of Central Ohio is trying to figure out its next steps and how they can help those in Ukraine.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.