"More Urgent Than Weapons: Troop Issues"... Ukraine Shows Reluctance
The United States is reportedly pressuring Ukraine to lower the conscription age to 18 to address troop shortages, according to AP News and other outlets on the 27th (local time).
According to foreign media, a senior U.S. administration official stated that Ukraine should reduce the minimum conscription age from 25 to 18 to withstand Russia's offensive.
He said, "While Russia is expanding its military forces, Ukraine is unable to mobilize or train enough soldiers to replace battlefield losses."
The Joe Biden administration is accelerating support for Ukraine ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in January next year. Trump has repeatedly pledged to lead negotiations to end the Ukraine war immediately after taking office. In response, Russia is accelerating its advance by deploying North Korean troops to secure a favorable position in the negotiations. In countermeasure, the Biden administration recently provided Ukraine with long-range missiles, ATACMS, and anti-personnel mines. Since February 2022, the U.S. has supported Ukraine with over $56 billion (approximately 78 trillion won), and it is expected to inject tens of billions more before President Biden leaves office.
However, with time running short until January next year, weapons support alone is considered insufficient to decisively influence the course of the war. AP News reported that European countries also expressed concerns that Ukraine's troop shortages might prevent continued operations in Russia's Kursk region.
Ukraine has stated it needs about 160,000 troops, but the U.S. views this as a minimum requirement.
Ukraine is reportedly reluctant to lower the conscription age below 25 due to demographic concerns. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently told parliament, "Do not speculate. We are not ready to lower the mobilization age." Earlier in April, Ukraine had lowered the conscription age once from 27 to 25.
Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Military and Political Power Center at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said, "There is no easy solution to Ukraine's severe manpower shortage, but lowering the conscription age would help," adding, "This is a difficult decision for the Ukrainian government and society, which have endured Russia's aggression for a long time."
Meanwhile, on the same day, President-elect Trump nominated Keith Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general, as a special envoy for Ukraine-Russia, signaling his intention to end the war early.
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