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Ukraine to get bigger army but it doesn't mean war imminent - President

Middle East

01-02-2022 | 05:49

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Ukraine to get bigger army but it doesn't mean war imminent - President

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President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a decree on Tuesday to increase the size of Ukraine's armed forces by 100,000 troops over three years and raise soldiers' salaries, but said it did not mean war with Russia was imminent.

In an address to parliament, he urged lawmakers to stay calm and united, not to sow panic and not to exploit a standoff with Russia for political gain.

Although Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine's borders, Zelenskiy has repeatedly pushed back against warnings by the United States and other NATO allies that Russia could attack Ukraine at any moment.

He was speaking as he prepared to host the prime ministers of Britain, Poland and the Netherlands - all of them NATO member states - as part of efforts to defuse tensions with Russia and shore up international support for Kyiv.

"This decree (was prepared) not because we will soon have a war... but so that soon and in the future, there will be peace in Ukraine," Zelenskiy said.

There are currently nearly 250,000 people in Ukraine's armed forces, which are vastly outnumbered and outgunned by Russia's.

REUTERS

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