There is apparently concern among allies that Ukraine could soon be short of soldiers. US government circles have now announced a proposal to lower the age for Ukrainian conscription – from 25 to 18 years.
The outgoing US administration of President Joe Biden is reportedly in favor of lowering the draft age in Ukraine from 25 to 18. A senior government official expressed concern that there could soon be a shortage of soldiers in the fight against Russia. Ukraine faces an “existential recruitment problem,” he said.
“The simple truth is that Ukraine is currently not mobilizing or training enough soldiers to replace its battlefield losses while keeping pace with Russia's growing military,” the official told multiple news agencies on condition of anonymity. Russia is making steady progress in the east and is also starting to push Ukraine back in Kursk.
“Simple Mathematics”
It's “simple math,” said the US government source. Accordingly, Ukraine assumes that it needs around 160,000 additional soldiers. According to information from European government circles, other allies of Ukraine have also expressed concern that Kiev lacks not so much weapons as soldiers.
“There are no easy answers to Ukraine's serious personnel shortage, but lowering the draft age would help,” said expert Bradley Bowman of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. But this is a difficult decision for Ukraine, which is already suffering.
Age for military service has already been lowered once
During the war against Russia, Ukraine had already lowered the draft age once – from 27 to 25 years. Asked what Washington considers the appropriate minimum age for mobilization, the official replied that “we think it makes sense for them to consider lowering the enlistment age to 18.” This is also the age limit in the US military.
According to the AP news agency, Ukrainian government circles said that such advances were more likely to serve as a distraction from delayed Western military deliveries. From the Ukrainian perspective, lowering the military service age is not a substitute for more modern and more powerful weapons.
White House: Gun aid not tied to changes
The White House later clarified that US military aid to Ukraine was not dependent on military age. “We will definitely continue to send weapons and equipment to Ukraine. We know that this is vital,” said John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council in Washington.
The US believes that forces are the “most important thing” Ukraine needs, Kirby continued. “Therefore, we are also ready to increase our training capacity if they take appropriate measures to replenish their ranks.”
