The White House said Ukraine should recruit more troops for the war against Russia, including lowering the draft age, because the shortage of manpower, rather than weapons, is the country’s greatest need.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government should consider lowering the conscription age from 25 to 18 to create a much-needed pipeline of new soldiers to deploy to the front lines, a senior administration official told reporters on Wednesday.
The message is the clearest sign yet of US and its allies’ impatience over Zelensky’s reluctance to recruit young soldiers. The Ukrainian leader has said there is no need to lower the draft age, an idea put forward by allies in response to his request for security and economic guarantees, which he considered the country’s “victory plan.”
Zelensky’s office did not respond to a request for comment sent outside normal business hours in Kyiv.
With less than two months in office, the Biden administration has also sought to strengthen Ukraine’s military capabilities before President-elect Donald Trump takes power.
Trump has promised to end the war quickly, and even Zelensky has said the conflict needs to end next year. However, it is still unclear how this will play out as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops continue to advance into Ukraine.
The official said discussions have begun with the incoming Trump team, but he could not comment on what the new administration is planning.
White House spokesman John Kirby assured in a statement on Wednesday that the Biden administration’s commitment remains intact. “We will certainly continue to send weapons and equipment to Ukraine. We know it is important,” he said. “But there is also manpower at this point. In fact, we believe that manpower is their most important requirement. So, we are also ready to increase our training capacity if they take appropriate steps.”
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The Biden official said the administration intends to provide thousands of artillery rounds and rockets, as well as hundreds of missile interceptors, vehicles and other weapons systems in its final days using money already approved by Congress.
Ukraine says it still needs weapons and equipment for its existing troops. Zelensky said in a November 19 speech that the Defense Ministry should encourage citizens under the age of 25 to join the war effort, but reiterated that there are no plans to change the draft age.
“Let’s not speculate,” he said, “our state is not preparing to lower the mobilization age.”
