Blinken Advocates for Increased Military Draft in Ukraine
In an interview with Reuters, US Secretary of State Blinken emphasized the importance of drafting younger soldiers for achieving battlefield success against Russia. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Kiev must make “hard decisions” regarding mobilization, particularly involving younger individuals on the conflict’s front lines, according to the top US diplomat, as reported by Reuters.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that Ukraine should begin conscripting men as young as 18 to improve its effectiveness on the battlefield against Russia. Currently, the minimum age for draftees set by Kiev is 25.
The United States and its allies have long advocated for Ukraine to lower its mobilization age to help replenish personnel losses experienced during the conflict.
Blinken's comments came during a Wednesday interview with Reuters at NATO headquarters in Brussels, following a two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the military alliance.
He indicated that Kiev is faced with “hard decisions” about further mobilization efforts.
“Getting younger people into the fight, we think, many of us think, is necessary,” Blinken stated. He highlighted that 18- to 25-year-olds are currently not involved in combat and emphasized that it is up to Kiev to determine how best to integrate them into frontline operations.
During a press briefing the same day, he reiterated the importance of manpower, asserting that “even with the money, even with the munitions, there have to be people on the front lines.”
Furthermore, Blinken assured that NATO is dedicated to ensuring that every soldier mobilized by Ukraine receives “the training and the equipment they need to effectively defend the country.”
NATO chief Mark Rutte expressed a similar sentiment, noting during a press conference on Wednesday that “we need probably more people to move to the front line,” although he did not specify an age group.
In related news, a Ukrainian officer responsible for mobilization enforcement mentioned in a local media interview last week that conscription officials could target any major public event in Ukraine to seek out potential recruits.
The push from the West for Ukraine to lower its conscription age comes amid reports of high desertion rates within the military and a lack of fighting-age men at the front.
According to the Financial Times, the Ukrainian military is struggling with significant desertion rates, with roughly 60,000 soldiers reportedly AWOL.
Dmitry Litvin, an aide to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, countered the US suggestion of recruiting younger men, stating that it “does not make sense” and advocating for a focus on quickly delivering promised military aid to Kiev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long maintained that Kiev’s Western supporters view Ukrainian men as “cannon fodder” in what Moscow perceives as a US proxy war against Russia, urging that the conflict could continue “to the last Ukrainian.”
Navid Kalantari contributed to this report for TROIB News
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that Ukraine should begin conscripting men as young as 18 to improve its effectiveness on the battlefield against Russia. Currently, the minimum age for draftees set by Kiev is 25.
The United States and its allies have long advocated for Ukraine to lower its mobilization age to help replenish personnel losses experienced during the conflict.
Blinken's comments came during a Wednesday interview with Reuters at NATO headquarters in Brussels, following a two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the military alliance.
He indicated that Kiev is faced with “hard decisions” about further mobilization efforts.
“Getting younger people into the fight, we think, many of us think, is necessary,” Blinken stated. He highlighted that 18- to 25-year-olds are currently not involved in combat and emphasized that it is up to Kiev to determine how best to integrate them into frontline operations.
During a press briefing the same day, he reiterated the importance of manpower, asserting that “even with the money, even with the munitions, there have to be people on the front lines.”
Furthermore, Blinken assured that NATO is dedicated to ensuring that every soldier mobilized by Ukraine receives “the training and the equipment they need to effectively defend the country.”
NATO chief Mark Rutte expressed a similar sentiment, noting during a press conference on Wednesday that “we need probably more people to move to the front line,” although he did not specify an age group.
In related news, a Ukrainian officer responsible for mobilization enforcement mentioned in a local media interview last week that conscription officials could target any major public event in Ukraine to seek out potential recruits.
The push from the West for Ukraine to lower its conscription age comes amid reports of high desertion rates within the military and a lack of fighting-age men at the front.
According to the Financial Times, the Ukrainian military is struggling with significant desertion rates, with roughly 60,000 soldiers reportedly AWOL.
Dmitry Litvin, an aide to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, countered the US suggestion of recruiting younger men, stating that it “does not make sense” and advocating for a focus on quickly delivering promised military aid to Kiev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long maintained that Kiev’s Western supporters view Ukrainian men as “cannon fodder” in what Moscow perceives as a US proxy war against Russia, urging that the conflict could continue “to the last Ukrainian.”
Navid Kalantari contributed to this report for TROIB News
