The White House is pushing Ukraine to swiftly build up its troop numbers by changing conscription laws to include soldiers as young as 18 years old down from its current age requirement of 25 years old. The revelations shared by an anonymous senior Biden administration official who told The Associated Press on Wednesday, Nov. 27, the United States believes that Ukraine desperately needs more troops more than it needs more weaponry to fight off Russian forces. The official said that it’s just “pure math.”
The Biden administration has already dedicated nearly $60 billion in security aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion in 2022 and reportedly expects to send billions more before President Joe Biden leaves office in late January 2025.
The United States reportedly argues that Ukraine has the weapons and must now ramp up its manpower.
The White House official said Ukraine estimates it will need around 160,000 more troops but the White House believes that the country will need more than that number.
European allies have also expressed concerns that Ukraine lacks manpower and say soon Ukraine will no longer be able to continue to maintain control of the Kursk Region.
Ukraine has previously expanded the draft pool by lowering the age of draft-eligible men from 25 years old to 27 years old.
Some Ukrainians are reportedly worried that lowering the minimum age of conscription could deplete the already war-ravaged workforce of the country.
Ukraine reportedly has more than a million soldiers currently enlisted in the military.
