Signals about lowering mobilization age are not honest discussion. It is crucial to save lives of our people, our youth - Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he had received signals from some allies about lowering the mobilization age, but that this was not currently being considered. It is important for our country to save the lives of young people.
He said this in an interview with the French newspaper Le Parisien, Censor.NET reports.
We heard signals from some leaders: let's lower the mobilization age. But I believe that today this is not an honest discussion. I have spoken about this both publicly and privately to leaders. Modern warfare is different. It's not just about trenches, it's not just about being in a trench with a machine gun. It's about modern weapons, drones and artillery, it's about aviation. When the sky is not covered, how can you go to assault? And the leaders know this, and that's why, you know, these are political games (lowering the mobilization age - ed.)," Zelenskyy emphasized.
The Head of State noted that Ukraine needs to strengthen the technological component of the army.
But for me it is very important to save the lives of our people, our youth. That is why, first of all, we should pay attention to the technological capabilities of the army, not the age of the soldier. Because technology comes first today, because this is not the First World War, and this war is not a hand-to-hand fight. This is a battle of weapons and technology," Zelenskyy added.
The President also noted that Ukraine's allies should invest in strengthening the country's capabilities to provide it with the most modern and complete air defense.
"I am sometimes told that the West does not have enough capacity to produce these systems in time because they are already deployed and there are not so many of them. This is normal. Give us licenses! We will produce our own weapons and defense systems," the head of state summarized.
Lowering the mobilization age
Earlier, a senior official told the media that the administration of current US President Joe Biden is calling on Ukraine to immediately increase the size of its armed forces by drafting more soldiers and revising its mobilisation law to allow people aged 18 and older to be drafted.
On 19 November, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Ukraine should increase mobilisation to improve the situation at the front. However, no single weapons system is decisive in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The Foreign Ministry said that Ukraine is indeed discussing mobilisation and lowering the mobilisation age in talks with its Western partners, but the problem is the delay in the promised supply of the necessary weapons.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Ukraine must make difficult decisions about further mobilisation.
The WP noted that despite the acceleration of the supply of necessary weapons to Ukraine, the administration of current US President Joe Biden is growing frustrated with the refusal of Ukrainian leaders to lower the conscription age from 25 to 18.
The State Department said that if Ukraine lowered the mobilization age, the United States and its allies would be ready to provide equipment to Ukrainian recruits.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later stated that he opposed lowering the mobilization age. Instead, he calls for supplying equipment and reducing Russia's military capabilities.
According to The Telegraph, disputes over lowering the mobilization age have led to tensions between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Joe Biden.
