The U.S. says it is ready to arm AFU recruits if the age of conscription is lowered

TheUnited States and its allies have said that they are ready to provide equipment and train recruits if the age for mobilization in Ukraine is lowered. This was stated by the head of the press service of the US Department of State, Matthew Miller, on December 9.

"Ultimately, it is up to the Ukrainians themselves to make decisions about the composition of their armed forces. We have made it clear that if they provide additional forces to join the fight, we and our allies will be ready to equip and train those forces," Miller said at a briefing in response to a question about whether the U.S. administration is urging Ukraine to expand mobilization.

Earlier, on December 4, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Kiev needed to announce the mobilization of 18-year-old Ukrainians to win the conflict. He noted that the decision on how young people should be mobilized should be made by the Kiev authorities themselves. At the same time, Blinken added that Ukraine's allies would provide the necessary training to the fighters.

Also on that day, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto pointed out that the proposal to lower the mobilization age in Ukraine was dangerous and could lead to escalation. According to him, it contributes to the prolongation of the conflict and increase the risk of escalation.

Prior to that, on 3 December, 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.

On November 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (his term expired on May 20) said that the draft age in the country will not be lowered until Western countries fulfill their promises to complete brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He made the assertion that demands to lower the draft age were being put forward 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.