Ukraine has firmly rejected calls from Washington and NATO leadership to lower its age of conscription from 25 to 18, amid widespread acknowledgement that it doesn't have enough able-bodied fighting men to defend the front lines or slow the Russian military advance.
President Zelensky's office responded to White House urgings to get "younger people" into the fight by saying there are not enough weapons to begin with, so forcing more young men into the military will make little difference.
Zelensky’s communications adviser, Dmytro Lytvyn, issued a statement Wednesday night, directly addressing the controversy which is currently in international headlines, also after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte piled on the pressure from Brussels.
He started by explaining that the real problem Ukraine's military faces is delayed weapons transfers from Western partners. He asserted that Kyiv "lacks weapons to equip already mobilized soldiers."
"It doesn’t make sense to see calls for Ukraine to lower the mobilization age, presumably in order to draft more people, when we can see that previously announced equipment is not arriving on time. Because of these delays, Ukraine lacks weapons to equip already mobilized soldiers," Lytvyn said on X.
He claimed further that the Western allies "have complete access to the data and can compare promises to actual deliveries" - again putting the blame on Ukraine's foreign supporters.
"Ukraine cannot be expected to compensate for delays in logistics or hesitation in support with the youth of our men on the frontline," he added.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the Zelensky government to make "hard decisions" about expanding mobilization efforts to fight the Russians.
"Getting younger people into the fight, we think, many of us think, is necessary" Blinken stated in a NATO press conference on Wednesday. "Right now, 18- to 25-year-olds are not in the fight," he explained.
He emphasized that that manpower is critical "because even with the money, even with the munitions, there have to be people on the front lines." The Biden White House has been rushing as much arms to Ukraine forces as it can with little time left in the Democratic administration. Blinken also stressed that NATO is seeking to ensure every soldier Ukraine mobilizes has "the training and the equipment they need to effectively defend the country."
Zelensky's rejection of lowering conscription age is probably a strong indicator that negotiations are just around the corner. Also, if he moved to suddenly change the current policy, he could face rebellion among Ukrainians who don't want to prolong the war, and who worry about their family members dying in the Donbas.
