The Ukrainian army is to be boosted, Europeans rally behind Zelenskii

On Tuesday, Ukraine's president signed a decree boosting the armed forces and raising their pay by 100,000 troops over three years, as European nations lined up to support him in a standoff with Russia.

He pledged to avoid panic and urge lawmakers to remain calm, saying he ordered the increase "not because we will have a war soon... but so that soon and in the future there will be peace in Ukraine."

More than 100,000 Russian troops are stationed near Ukraine's borders, while the Kremlin denies plans to invade-a move the United States and its allies have warned will spark serious sanctions.

There are about 250,000 Ukrainian soldiers compared to Russia's approximately 900,000. According to Ukraine, Poland and Britain are bolstering their cooperation as a consequence of continued Russian aggression.

Poland's prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in Kyiv that Warsaw would lend Ukraine gas and weapons, as well as economic and humanitarian support.

Morawiecki predicts that Ukraine would be able to acquire artillery ammunition, mortar bombs, portable air-defense systems, and surveillance drones as a result of its close neighbors, like Russia.

2 Feb 2022