LONDON, November 28. /TASS/. Kiev has urged Washington to provide additional arms and training for the Ukrainian military, in response to US demands that Ukrainian authorities reduce the conscription age to 18, the Financial Times (FT) reported.

"Ukraine is not currently mobilizing or training enough personnel to replace its battlefield losses," the newspaper quoted the US official as saying. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice Olga Stefanishyna stated in a comment to the newspaper that the country has no need to lower the draft age. She emphasized that the US should focus on sending more weaponry to the Ukrainian forces.

A representative of US President Joe Biden's administration had earlier stated that the Ukrainian military is facing a critical manpower shortage. According to the official, increased mobilization could significantly alter Ukraine's military composition. However, the official admitted that Russian forces are making gradual progress, particularly pushing Ukrainian troops back in the Kursk Region.

In October, Verkhovna Rada member Maria Ionova revealed that Ukraine's Western allies had urged reducing the mobilization age. Ukrainian media had previously reported that, due to difficulties in replenishing casualties, authorities were considering broadening mobilization and drafting younger individuals, including students aged 18 and above. However, on October 9, the Verkhovna Rada passed a law banning the conscription of individuals under 25.

General mobilization has been enforced and repeatedly extended in Ukraine since February 2022, with the authorities taking extensive measures to prevent men of conscription age from evading service. On May 18 this year, a controversial law to strengthen mobilization procedures came into force, allowing hundreds of thousands more Ukrainians to be drafted into the army.