Equipping troops takes priority over lowering draft age, Zelensky says

Ukraine's immediate focus is on adequately equipping its military, rather than further reducing the draft age, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 14, according to Interfax-Ukraine.

"When we talk about increasing the number of our people (in the military), we must first address the issue of adequately equipping our brigades. Our partners have all these requests," Zelensky said.

Zelensky noted that Ukraine fields over 100 brigades, all requiring sustained staffing and consistent resupply of equipment to maintain their combat effectiveness.

The remarks follow reports that U.S. lawmakers and NATO allies are urging Ukraine to lower its draft age from 25 to 18 to address manpower shortages. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has reportedly advocated for the move as part of broader efforts to address Ukraine's personnel needs at the full-scale war with Russia stretches into its third year.

However, Kyiv has resisted the proposal, citing concerns over equipment shortages and the economic impact of drafting younger workers.

Under martial law, men aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving Ukraine, but only those aged 25 and older are eligible for the draft.

The Ukrainian government lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 in April 2024, adding 50,000 troops to its forces. While the measure bolstered numbers, it fell short of meeting the military’s full requirements.

As US pushes Ukraine to lower conscription age, why won’t Kyiv draft younger men?

Editor’s note: this article was updated to reflect incoming U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz’s comments on the topic. When looking at Ukraine’s Armed Forces, there is one thing that stands out — it is made up predominantly of older men. Ukraine has never publicly released information ab…

The Kyiv IndependentElsa Court

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