TIL Desk/World/Kyiv/ Ukraine’s president signed a decree on Tuesday to boost his armed forces by 100,000 troops over three years, as European leaders lined up to back him in a standoff with Russia and the United States demanded immediate Russian de-escalation. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged lawmakers to stay calm and avoid panic, saying he had ordered the increase “not because we will soon have a war… but so that soon and in the future there will be peace in Ukraine”.
Russia has massed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders. It denies plans to invade but says it could take unspecified military action if demands are not met, including barring Ukraine from ever joining NATO. The United States and its allies say any invasion would trigger tough sanctions.
Speaking to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by phone, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Washington’s readiness to continue dialogue, but called for “immediate Russian de-escalation and the withdrawal of troops and equipment from Ukraine’s borders”, the State Department said. Ukraine’s armed forces number about 250,000, compared to Russia’s overall strength of around 900,000.
