Ukraine president planning to add 100,000 troops to army

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday signed a decree that increases the country’s armed forces by 100,000 troops, along with increasing pay for troops over three years.

Zelenskiy said his decision was “not because we will soon have a war… but so that soon and in the future there will be peace in Ukraine,” according to Reuters.

Overall, Ukraine’s armed forces comprise about 250,000 troops, while Russia has around 900,000.

To bolster its preparations, Ukraine has also said it was working alongside Poland and Britain “in the context of ongoing Russian aggression,” Reuters added.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said his country would help Ukraine with gas, arms and humanitarian aid in the event of an attack, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was scheduled to meet with Zelenskiy on Tuesday.