The US asked Ukraine to reduce the military enlistment age to 18 to prevent manpower shortages

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The US forced Ukraine to lower the military recruitment age to 18 to address the serious shortage of manpower, weakening the country’s position on the battlefield and leading to Russia gaining the fastest advantage in 2 years.

A senior US administration official said Wednesday that Kiev needs to reduce the minimum military enlistment age from 25 to make it viable. Russia attacks.

“The simple truth is that Ukraine is not mobilizing or training enough soldiers to replace battlefield losses while keeping up with Russia’s growing military,” the senior official said.

Washington’s request comes as the Biden administration is rushing to deploy $7 billion in security assistance to Kyiv before president-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

The senior US official said Ukraine should “carefully consider the age of individuals they are willing to recruit, balancing the need to invest in future generations with the current requirements of the battlefield”.

Ukraine has said it needs 160,000 soldiers to replenish its ranks, which the United States considers “on the low end,” the official said.

But so far Ukraine has not been willing to recruit people under 25, while Ukrainian officials are concerned about the demographic challenges the country faces.

“Don’t speculate – our state is not prepared to lower the military age,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told parliament last week.

Although the Biden administration ultimately approved many of Kyiv’s weapons requests and authorized their use in Russia, officials believe this will not be enough to have a decisive impact.

“Our view is that there is no single weapon system that can make a difference in this fight. It’s a matter of manpower, and in our view, Ukraine needs to do more to strengthen its lines in terms of the number of forces it has on the front lines,” said the national security adviser. American Jake Sullivan said last week.

Fighting in Kursk and along Ukraine’s southeastern front in the Donetsk region has escalated in recent weeks, as the warring sides seek to consolidate their positions and seize the initiative on the battlefield before Trump takes office. .

The president-elect has vowed to quickly end the nearly three-year war, raising fears among Kiev’s allies that he will force Ukraine to accept Moscow’s terms.

Trump on Wednesday named 80-year-old retired lieutenant general Keith Kellogg as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, appointing a trusted aide who earlier this year outlined a plan to freeze the conflict and putting pressure on Kiev and Moscow to come to the negotiating table.

Russian forces have advanced in recent months at their fastest pace since the early weeks of the 2022 invasion. They are moving towards the key eastern cities of Pokrovsk, Kurakhove and Velyka Novosilka – the the mainstay of Ukraine’s defense in the southeast.

Russia’s forces have been bolstered by the arrival of 11,000 North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region, where Moscow is trying to reclaim territory seized by Ukraine in a surprise attack in August.

Senior Ukrainian officials told the Financial Times this week that North Korean troops have now deployed from the base to Russia’s second line and are being trained in modern warfare.

But Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna told the FT that Ukraine does not need to lower the military age. “The United States should equip Ukraine’s brigades” with the training and weapons they need to defend the country, she said.