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US to equip Ukrainian recruits if country lowers mobilization age – US official

On December 4, Blinken told Reuters that the US and allies are pushing Ukraine to lower the draft age to 18

WASHINGTON, December 10. /TASS/. The US and its allies are ready to equip and train Ukrainian recruits if the country lowers its mobilization age, US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

"You heard the secretary [Antony Blinken] speak to this somewhat when we were in Brussels last week. Ultimately the decisions about the composition of its military force, those are decisions that the Ukrainians have to make for themselves," he said. "What we have made clear is that if they produce additional forces to join the fight, we and our allies will be ready to equip those forces and train those forces to enter battle."

On December 4, Blinken told Reuters that the US and allies are pushing Ukraine to lower the draft age to 18. Getting younger people into the fight is necessary, he said.

A source in Vladimir Zelensky’s office commented on Blinken's statement by saying that if the Ukrainian conflict ends before mid-2025, there will be no need to lower the mobilization age. But in case peace talks break down, "sooner or later the mobilization age will have to be lowered," the person said. Zelensky's office "would go for it, finding hundreds of reasons to explain the change of position," he added.

Currently, men from 25 to 60 years of age are subject to mobilization in Ukraine. That is after the minimum age for mobilization was lowered from 27 years starting from April 2024. Despite move, Ukrainian forces continue to face a serious shortage of personnel.

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Ukraine crisis Ukraine United States

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