White House urges Ukraine to lower draft age to help increase size of military

The mobilisation age is currently 25 (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine’s 65th Mechanised Brigade via AP)

US President Joe Biden’s administration has urged Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilisation laws to allow for the conscription of troops as young as 18.

A senior Biden administration official said that the outgoing Democratic administration wants Ukraine to lower the mobilisation age to 18 from the current age of 25 to help expand the pool of fighting-age men available to help a badly outmanned Ukraine in the war with Russia.