WASHINGTON: The outgoing US administration of President Joe Biden urged Ukraine Wednesday to reduce the minimum conscription age to 18 from 25 to tackle a manpower shortage as Russian forces press in.
The call for Kyiv to boost its ranks came amid speculation that incoming president Donald Trump will take a new approach that could include pushing Kyiv into a peace deal with Moscow, reports AFP.
The US official, speaking to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday the outgoing Democratic administration wants Ukraine to lower the mobilisation age from 25 to help expand the pool of fighting age men available.
The Biden administration is preparing another urgent weapons package for Ukraine, this time worth $725m, two US officials said on Wednesday.
It is predicted to include land mines, drones, Stinger anti-air missiles, and Himars ammunition, including GMLRS rockets with cluster warheads. The formal notification to Congress of the weapons package could come as soon as Monday, one official said. It is much more than the US president’s recent use of his presidential drawdown authority (PDA), which allows him to use weapons stocks to help allies in an emergency. Recent PDA announcements have typically ranged from $125m to $250 million. Biden has an estimated $4bn to $5bn in PDA already authorised by Congress that he could use before Donald Trump takes over on 20 January.
“The simple truth is that Ukraine is not currently mobilizing or training enough soldiers to replace their battlefield losses while keeping pace with Russia’s growing military,” said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
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Pressed on what Washington considers an appropriate minimum age, the official replied that “we think there’s real value in them considering lowering the recruiting age to 18” — in line with the US benchmark.
Struggling to contain the Russian invasion launched in February 2022, Ukraine has already lowered the minimum age of mobilization from 27 to 25.
Biden’s White House later clarified that it was not talking about making the huge flow of US military aid to Kyiv dependent on a conscription age change.
“We’re absolutely going to keep sending Ukraine weapons and equipment. We know that’s vital. But so, too, is manpower at this point,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
“In fact, we believe manpower is the most vital need they have. So, we’re also ready to ramp up our training capacity if they take appropriate steps to fill out their ranks.”
According to Financial Times, Russian forces have advanced in recent months at the fastest rate since the early weeks of the invasion in 2022. They are pressing towards the key eastern cities of Pokrovsk, Kurakhove and Velyka Novosilka — linchpins for Ukraine’s defence in the south-east.
Senior Ukrainian officials told FT this week that the North Koreans have now been deployed from staging grounds to Russia’s second line and are being trained in modern warfare.
But deputy prime minister Olha Stefanishyna, said that Ukraine did not need to lower its draft age. “The US should equip Ukraine’s brigades” with the training and weapons they need to defend the country, she said.
