A senior US official has stated that Ukraine is not mobilizing or training enough new soldiers as Russia makes significant gains.
The official suggested that Ukraine should consider lowering the military service age from 25 to 18 to address the manpower shortage, noting that the Russian forces are making steady progress in eastern Ukraine and pushing back Ukrainian lines in Kursk.
The official emphasized the importance of increasing troop numbers to make a meaningful impact on the battlefield, even though Ukrainian forces are well-stocked with essential weapons and ammunition. However, without a steady influx of new recruits, the current units, which are fighting courageously, cannot rotate to rest, retrain, and re-equip.
An unnamed source close to President Zelenskyy mentioned that Ukraine is struggling to equip the current troops due to a shortage of resources, such as armored vehicles, and cannot risk further losses by deploying soldiers without proper equipment.
In response to these challenges, the Biden administration is reportedly preparing a new weapons package worth $725 million to support Ukraine. The package, expected to include a variety of military equipment like antitank mines, drones, and ammunition for HIMARS, could be formally announced soon.
At the same time, concerns are rising about the future of US support for Ukraine under a potential Trump presidency. Trump has previously criticized the scale of Western aid to Kyiv and suggested he might reduce military assistance if elected.
Meanwhile, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador warned that cutting aid to Ukraine would be disastrous for its military. Analysts have noted that Russian forces are advancing more rapidly than before, capturing territory at a pace unseen since the early stages of the invasion.
Trump has named retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg as his new special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Kellogg has proposed a plan to end the war by freezing current battle lines and encouraging negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. However, Zelenskyy has stated that any ceasefire discussions without strong security guarantees from Western allies would only benefit Russia.
