Controversies surrounding mobilization rates and the age limit for mobilization have caused strain in relations between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States. As informs The Telegraph, this issue has become one of the most acute in relations between Kyiv and Washington since the beginning of the war.
In recent weeks, the United States has increasingly called on Ukraine publicly and in closed negotiations to lower the mobilization age to 18. According to the American side, the lack of personnel at the front is critical, which allows Russia to maintain the initiative in the east. In addition, there is a fear that after Donald Trump comes to power in the USA, military aid to Ukraine may be significantly reduced.
During the meeting of NATO ministers in Brussels, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken emphasized that the maintenance of the front depends not only on the supply of weapons and funding, but also on a sufficient number of military personnel. He emphasized that it is necessary to involve young people, who are not currently fighting in full, to participate in hostilities.
Instead, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, noted that the primary task is to provide the country with weapons and reduce the military potential of Russia, and not to correct the mobilization age.
At the same time, the group of 18-25-year-olds in Ukraine is much smaller compared to the older generations, which puts the demographic future of the country at risk. In addition, the mobilization age in Ukraine has already been lowered from 27 to 25.
