The Biden administration is asking Ukraine to act fast and grow its military by drafting more troops. They’re suggesting a big change—lowering the minimum age for conscription from 25 to 18. A senior U.S. official shared that Ukraine needs more soldiers to keep up in its fight against Russia, a war that’s now going on for nearly three years.
The math is simple: Ukraine is losing soldiers faster than they can replace them, and Russia’s military is growing. To stay in the fight, Ukraine needs a bigger army. So far, the U.S. has sent over $56 billion in military aid and plans to send more. But officials say weapons aren’t the problem right now—it’s manpower.
Sean Savett, a spokesperson for the White House’s National Security Council, emphasized, “Ukraine has enough weapons; what they really need is more soldiers.” The U.S. is even willing to boost training programs if Ukraine moves forward with drafting younger recruits.
Ukraine estimates it needs at least 160,000 more troops, but the U.S. thinks the real number could be higher. Currently, over a million Ukrainians are already in uniform, but European allies and the U.S. believe Ukraine’s army isn’t big enough to handle the pressure, especially with new challenges like North Korean soldiers joining Russia’s forces near the border.
The timing is critical. President-elect Donald Trump takes office soon, and he’s promised to end the war quickly. It’s unclear if his administration will continue the same level of U.S. military support for Ukraine.
Experts agree that lowering the draft age would help but recognize how hard this decision is for a country already suffering deeply. Ukraine has started making changes, like reducing the draft age from 27 to 25 and creating an online registry to find more recruits, but these measures only added about 50,000 soldiers—far short of what’s needed.
President Zelenskyy has resisted calls to lower the age further, saying the country doesn’t have enough equipment for a larger army. Ukrainian officials also feel like some Western countries are shifting the blame for delays in military support by focusing on Ukraine’s draft policies.
Meanwhile, there’s concern about pulling more young people out of the workforce. Some fear it could hurt Ukraine’s struggling economy even more. And while the U.S. urges action, Ukraine is hesitant to rely on conscription as the solution to the manpower shortage.
For now, the message from the Biden administration is clear: Ukraine needs to figure out how to get more soldiers on the battlefield, and fast. But the path forward isn’t simple, and every decision comes with serious trade-offs for the country and its people.