U.S. pressuring Ukraine to lower draft age to 18 amid troop shortage — Financial Times

The U.S. government is urging Ukraine to revise its legislation and lower the conscription age for mobilization from 25 to 18 in order to quickly expand its armed forces for the ongoing war with Russia, a senior official in the Biden administration told the Associated Press and The Financial Times on condition of anonymity.

“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,” The Financial Times quoted the official as saying.

Kyiv estimates its need at 160,000 additional soldiers, but the Biden administration considers this the bare minimum required for Ukraine’s military. The shortage of manpower in Ukraine’s army has allowed Russian forces to advance along the front line more quickly than in the past two years of the war, The Financial Times wrote.

Under the current law, adopted in the spring of 2024, Ukraine reduced the conscription age for mobilization from 27 to 25. Men aged 18–25 deemed fit for military service are not mobilized but are instead called up for compulsory service.

The Office of the President of Ukraine has previously acknowledged that Western allies are pressuring Zelensky to lower the mobilization age to 18. However, Kyiv is concerned that such a measure would exacerbate the country’s demographic crisis.