US pressuring Zelenskyy to lower mobilization age to 18, he resists – President's Office
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Getty Images)
American officials are trying to get Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make a decision on mobilization starting from the age of 18. However, he is resisting, according to an advisor to the head of the President's Office of Ukraine, Serhii Leshchenko, on Telegram.
"If this information has surfaced, I can confirm: American politicians from both parties are pressuring President Zelenskyy on the issue of why Ukraine is not mobilizing people aged 18 to 25," Leshchenko wrote.
According to him, the argument from American officials is that during the Vietnam War, the US drafted men starting at the age of 19. Therefore, Americans are hinting that Western weaponry alone is insufficient and mobilization from the age of 18 is needed.
"President Zelenskyy has stood firm and continues to persuade politicians from both parties to provide weapons without changing the conscription age," added the advisor to the head of the President's Office.
Mobilization in Ukraine
This spring, Ukraine lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25. In 2023, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the relevant bill, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not sign it for a long time.
Thus, in Ukraine, men can be drafted into the military starting from the age of 25.
However, it is important to note that mobilization also applies to men under 25 who have completed mandatory military service or attended a military department and are reserve officers.
