Hungary calls proposal to lower the age of mobilization in Ukraine dangerous
The proposal to lower the mobilization age in Ukraine is dangerous and may lead to escalation. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told reporters after the second day of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting on December 4.
"Yesterday, many [NATO foreign ministers] deliberately, if not aggressively and forcefully, demanded that Ukrainians lower the age limit for mobilization. <...> This would mean even more ruthless mobilization," he said at the speech, broadcast by the M1 television channel.
He noted that Hungary considers the proposal to lower the mobilization age limit as well as increasing the training of soldiers and sending new weapons to Ukraine as dangerous. According to him, this contributes to prolonging the conflict and increasing the risk of escalation.
The day before, the Strana.ua news and analysis website quoted a source in political circles as saying that the Ukrainian authorities would lower the mobilization age if the conflict continued. According to the source, Kiev wants to sabotage the ceasefire discussion with demands to join NATO in order to continue fighting, as well as not to hold elections.
Before that, on November 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (his term expired on May 20) said that the draft age in the country would not be lowered until Western countries fulfill their promises to complete brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). He made the assertion that the demands for the reduction were being made by "some European leaders".
Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022. At the same time Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization, its effect was repeatedly extended. Most men between the ages of 18 and 60 are forbidden to leave the country. In April 2024, the head of the Kiev regime approved the law on tougher mobilization.
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