Biden admin urges Ukraine to lower draft age to conscript 18-year-olds

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President Biden’s administration is urging Ukraine to lower its draft age to conscript 18-year-olds to keep pace with Russia’s growing military nearly three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion.

A senior Biden administration official told The Associated Press Wednesday that “the pure math” of Ukraine’s situation calls for lowering the draft age from the current age of 25 to expand its outnumbered fighting force.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Ukraine is failing to mobilize and train enough soldiers to replace its battlefield losses and keep pace with Russia’s growing forces.

In April, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law that lowered the military conscription age from 27 to 25 to replenish its depleted ranks.

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Fellow soldiers carry a coffin of leading actor Petro Velykiy, 48, who was killed in a battle with the Russian troops in Russia’s Kursk region, in Chernyhiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Dan Bashakov)

Lowering the minimum conscription age, however, has some Ukrainians worried that taking more young adults out of the workforce could further damage its already war-ravaged economy. Some Ukrainian officials see the push from the U.S. as part of a Western effort to distract from their own delays in providing weaponry and other equipment.

Ukraine’s manpower shortage on the battlefield has the Biden administration urging Ukrainian officials to lower the draft age to 18 years of age. (AP Photo/Dan Bashakov)

Even with more than 1 million Ukrainians now in uniform, including the National Guard and other units, Ukrainian officials have said they need about 160,000 additional troops to keep pace on the battlefield. 

But the Biden administration believes they probably will need even more, saying that shoring up Ukraine’s manpower shortage far eclipses the need for military equipment.

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White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett in a statement said the administration will continue sending Ukraine weaponry but believes “manpower is the most vital need” for Ukraine.

More than 1 million Ukrainians are now in uniform, including the National Guard and other units. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)

“So, we’re also ready to ramp up our training capacity if they take appropriate steps to fill out their ranks,” Savett said.

The White House has pushed more than $56 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion and expects to send billions more to Kyiv before Biden leaves office in less than two months.

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President-elect Trump has said that he will bring about a swift end to the war when he takes office on Jan. 20, 2025, though some are concerned that he may not continue to provide Ukraine with military support.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.