SOLNECHNOGORSK /Moscow Region/, July 23. /TASS/. The Ukrainian government, nudged by the West, is looking at lowering the minimum draft age, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"The issue of lowering the mobilization age is being actively discussed in Ukraine, with a little help from the West. They are moving toward this headlong only because the personal ambitions [of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky] require endless sacrifices," she said on the sidelines of a new media festival outside Moscow, commenting on the extension of martial law in Ukraine.

According to the Russian diplomat, the Ukrainian leader is putting his personal interests above the future of his country and the future of the Ukrainian people. "Zelensky is only out for himself. He is ready to pay a huge cost for this but he is paying with the lives of Ukrainian citizens. Regrettably, this is not the end. He will need more and more Ukrainian lives," she added.