Ukraine Rejects U.S. Call to Lower Military Draft Age

Ukraine has rejected Washington’s request to lower its military draft age from 25 to 18, a senior Ukrainian official confirmed to AFP on Thursday.

“We will not reduce the draft age,” the official stated, accusing outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration of using the issue to justify “insufficient military aid” to Kyiv.

For weeks, the U.S. has been pressuring Ukraine to draft individuals aged 18 and above to address manpower shortages in its armed forces, struggling against Russian forces. However, Ukrainian authorities rejected the proposal, arguing that mobilization challenges are less severe than delays in Western military assistance.

“We are already mobilizing more personnel than we can equip,” the official lamented, citing weapon shortages as a more critical issue.

Conscription is a sensitive matter in Ukraine after nearly three years of a devastating war with Russia, which has claimed tens of thousands of military and civilian lives. Earlier this year, Ukraine reduced its minimum conscription age from 27 to 25 but resists further reductions due to demographic concerns, as millions, particularly women and children, have left the country.

The debate over conscription highlights broader tensions between Ukraine and its Western allies. Last month, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan urged Kyiv to “do more to bolster front-line troop numbers.”

In response, the Ukrainian official argued that the solution lies in advanced weaponry rather than increasing manpower: “An advanced, well-equipped military is far more effective than simply increasing numbers.”