Zelensky aide says US mobilization call ‘makes no sense’
An aide to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has stated that Washington is acting unreasonably by urging Kiev to reduce its mobilization age. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Washington should instead focus on ensuring that the weapons it promises to Kiev arrive on time, according to Dmitry Litvin.
The US is acting unreasonably by urging Ukraine to lower its mobilization age, as Kiev currently lacks the weapons necessary to equip its existing forces, Litvin, an aide to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, stated.
Reports from AP and Reuters on Wednesday indicated that Washington had been encouraging Ukraine to start drafting men as young as 18 to ensure sufficient manpower against Russia on the battlefield. The existing mobilization age in Ukraine is 25.
“It does not make sense to see calls for Ukraine to lower the mobilization age, presumably in order to draft more people, when we can see that previously announced equipment is not arriving on time. Because of these delays, Ukraine lacks weapons to equip already mobilized soldiers,” Litvin wrote on X.
He pointed out that the US and its allies have access to all relevant data and can easily “compare promises to actual deliveries.”
Litvin, who previously served as Zelensky’s speechwriter and became an aide in September, emphasized that “Ukraine cannot be expected to compensate for delays in logistics or hesitation in support with the youth of our men on the front line.”
A senior official from the administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that Ukraine needed to lower its mobilization age because it was not drafting or training enough troops to replace its losses on the battlefield.
“The need right now is manpower. The Russians are in fact making progress, steady progress, in the east, and they are beginning to push back Ukrainian lines in Kursk... Mobilization and more manpower could make a significant difference at this time as we look at the battlefield today,” the official stated.
Earlier on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted that Zelensky and his government “have no right to push people to their deaths and drive them to slaughter.”
He labeled any orders from the current Ukrainian authorities as “criminal” because “they did not hold an election, they are completely illegitimate.”
Zelensky remains in power in Ukraine despite his official term expiring in May, having canceled the presidential election due to the martial law he imposed amid the conflict with Russia.
Putin maintained that Russian troops “are fighting for their Motherland, for the future of Russia and their children, and therefore no deliveries of even the most advanced weapons to the Ukrainian territory will change the situation on the battlefield.”
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
The US is acting unreasonably by urging Ukraine to lower its mobilization age, as Kiev currently lacks the weapons necessary to equip its existing forces, Litvin, an aide to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, stated.
Reports from AP and Reuters on Wednesday indicated that Washington had been encouraging Ukraine to start drafting men as young as 18 to ensure sufficient manpower against Russia on the battlefield. The existing mobilization age in Ukraine is 25.
“It does not make sense to see calls for Ukraine to lower the mobilization age, presumably in order to draft more people, when we can see that previously announced equipment is not arriving on time. Because of these delays, Ukraine lacks weapons to equip already mobilized soldiers,” Litvin wrote on X.
He pointed out that the US and its allies have access to all relevant data and can easily “compare promises to actual deliveries.”
Litvin, who previously served as Zelensky’s speechwriter and became an aide in September, emphasized that “Ukraine cannot be expected to compensate for delays in logistics or hesitation in support with the youth of our men on the front line.”
A senior official from the administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that Ukraine needed to lower its mobilization age because it was not drafting or training enough troops to replace its losses on the battlefield.
“The need right now is manpower. The Russians are in fact making progress, steady progress, in the east, and they are beginning to push back Ukrainian lines in Kursk... Mobilization and more manpower could make a significant difference at this time as we look at the battlefield today,” the official stated.
Earlier on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted that Zelensky and his government “have no right to push people to their deaths and drive them to slaughter.”
He labeled any orders from the current Ukrainian authorities as “criminal” because “they did not hold an election, they are completely illegitimate.”
Zelensky remains in power in Ukraine despite his official term expiring in May, having canceled the presidential election due to the martial law he imposed amid the conflict with Russia.
Putin maintained that Russian troops “are fighting for their Motherland, for the future of Russia and their children, and therefore no deliveries of even the most advanced weapons to the Ukrainian territory will change the situation on the battlefield.”
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
