Ukraine's forces hold line against Russian troops, rebels - Poroshenko

Members of the armed forces of the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic drive a tank on the outskirts of Donetsk January 22, 2015. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Thursday his troops were holding the line against separatists and Russian forces after a sharp increase in attacks and the withdrawal of government defenders from Donetsk airport.

Poroshenko, who told the World Economic Forum on Wednesday that Russia had 9,000 troops inside Ukraine, met defence chiefs to work on a plan to "regroup and stop aggression."