US Urges Ukraine to Lower Military Draft Age Amidst Impending Arms Package
A senior US official has urged Ukraine to lower its minimum military service age to 18, citing insufficient troop mobilization to replace combat losses, Al Jazeera reports.
This recommendation comes as the Biden administration reportedly prepares a significant new weapons package for Ukraine before the presidential transition in January.
The unnamed US official, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, argued that Ukraine’s current minimum age of 25 is hindering its ability to replenish its forces. While the official asserted that Ukraine currently possesses “healthy stockpiles” of essential weapons and munitions, a source within Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky’s office countered that Kyiv lacks the resources to fully equip its current forces despite billions of dollars in international assistance. This raises concerns about the allocation of military and financial supplies.
Zelensky previously lowered the mobilization age for combat duty from 27 to 25 in April 2022.
The US push for increased Ukrainian recruitment coincides with reports of a $725 million arms package being prepared by the Biden administration. Reuters, citing an unnamed official familiar with the plan, indicated that this package would include a range of weapons, such as antitank mines, drones, Stinger missiles, cluster munitions, and ammunition for HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems). Formal notification to Congress is expected as early as Monday.
President-elect Donald Trump has previously criticized the scale of Western aid to Kyiv and hinted at cutting military aid if elected.
Military analysts and war bloggers report that Russian forces are currently making their fastest advances since the early days of the conflict. Trump, who pledged to quickly end the war in Ukraine during his campaign, has yet to detail his plans for achieving this.
On Wednesday, Trump named retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg as his special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Kellogg reportedly presented Trump with a plan to end the war by freezing current battle lines and pushing both Kyiv and Moscow into negotiations.
