White House pressing Ukraine to draft 18-year-old men to help fill manpower needs to battle Russia

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's administration is urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilization laws to allow for the conscription of troops as young as 18.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/11/2024 (493 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s administration is urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilization laws to allow for the conscription of troops as young as 18.

A senior Biden administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private consultations, said Wednesday that the outgoing Democratic administration wants Ukraine to lower the mobilization age to 18 from the current age of 25 to help expand the pool of fighting age men available to help a badly outmanned Ukraine in its nearly three-year-old war with Russia.

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 months.

Fellow soldiers carry a coffin of leading actor of the music and drama theatre Petro Velykiy, 48, who was killed in a battle with the Russian troops in Russia's Kursk region, during farewell ceremony in Chernyhiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024.(AP Photo/Dan Bashakov)
Fellow soldiers carry a coffin of leading actor of the music and drama theatre Petro Velykiy, 48, who was killed in a battle with the Russian troops in Russia's Kursk region, during farewell ceremony in Chernyhiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024.(AP Photo/Dan Bashakov)

But with time running out, the Biden White House is also sharpening its viewpoint that Ukraine has the weaponry it needs and now must dramatically increase its manpower if it’s going to stay in the fight with Russia.

The official said the Ukrainians believe they need about 160,000 additional troops, but the U.S. administration believes they probably will need more.

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