Blinken Says Ukraine Should Mobilize More Young Men to Fight Against Russia

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Ukraine to get more young people to enlist and defend their country against Russia’s invasion.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Dec. 4 called on Ukraine to send more young people into the fight against Russia, stressing that younger recruits are crucial to filling out the ranks of Kyiv’s depleted troops if the country hopes to withstand Moscow’s assault.

Blinken made the remarks in a press conference and interview with Reuters at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Dec. 4, after attending a two-day meeting of the military alliance’s foreign ministers. He told reporters that NATO allies are working in a “very determined way” to provide Ukraine with what it needs to continue opposing Russia’s invasion.

“We continue coordinating to ensure that Ukraine has the money, the munitions, and the mobilized forces to fight as necessary through next year—or to be able to negotiate, but from a position of strength,” he said.

“Even with the money, even with the munitions, there have to be people on the front lines to deal with the Russian aggression. Ukraine has hard decisions to make about further mobilization, but these are necessary decisions.”

While Blinken said it was up to Ukrainian authorities to decide how best to get younger men into the fight, one obvious possibility would be for Kyiv to lower its draft age from 25 to 18.

“These are very hard decisions, and I fully both understand that and respect that,” Blinken told Reuters. “But for example, getting younger people into the fight, we think, many of us think, is necessary. Right now, 18- to 25-year olds are not in the fight.”

His remarks confirm earlier media speculation that the Biden administration was sharpening its viewpoint that Ukraine must dramatically boost troop levels if it’s to stay in the fight against Russia.

Facing depleted ranks after more than two years of war, Ukraine in April lowered its draft-eligible age for men from 27 to 25, did away with some draft exemptions, and created an online registry for recruits. The aim was to mobilize what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in December 2023 would be an additional 500,000 troops.

Some analysts have estimated that the move would provide only a slight boost to depleted ranks. Oksana Zabolotna, an analyst at the Kyiv-based government watchdog Center for United Actions, projected that lowering the draft age to 25 would only add around 50,000 soldiers, barely one-tenth of the target.

Ukraine’s allies have long avoided publicly calling on Ukraine to lower the draft age even further, given the political sensitivity of the matter. Blinken’s remarks signal a shift, hinting at hopes that public pressure might prompt Ukraine to reconsider its stance on mobilizing younger citizens into battle.

Zelenskyy has thus far resisted calls to further lower the draft age. In mid-October, the Ukrainian president said that he didn’t see a need for such a move, calling it “dangerous.” Instead, he said Ukraine’s military should offer special contracts to encourage men younger than 25 to enlist voluntarily. Not long after Zelenskyy made the remarks, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security Council, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, told lawmakers in Parliament that the army planned to recruit another 160,000 troops.

Some Ukrainian officials contend that securing more weapons is a higher priority. In November, Dmytro Lytvyn, a communications adviser to Zelenskyy, said that Ukraine’s challenge lies not in a shortage of manpower but in a lack of arms.

“It doesn’t 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,” Lytvyn said in a post on social media. “Because of these delays, Ukraine lacks weapons to equip already mobilized soldiers.

“Ukraine cannot be expected to compensate for delays in logistics or hesitation in support with the youth of our men on the frontline.”

Smoke flares are used as Ukrainian soldiers are trained by the French Army as part of the “Champagne” Task Force, at Mourmelon-le-Grand military camp, in Mourmelon-le-Grand, France, on Nov. 14, 2024. FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI/AFP via Getty Images

During his remarks to reporters in Brussels on Dec. 4, Blinken insisted that Kyiv’s allies would make sure that all new Ukrainian recruits receive the necessary equipment and training.

“For every person, every soldier that Ukraine mobilizes, we’re committed to making sure that they have the training and the equipment they need to effectively defend the country,” Blinken said.

Thousands of Ukrainians rushed to enlist in defense of their country following Russia’s 2022 invasion, but those initial waves of recruits have long since dwindled.