The US Secretary of State: Ukraine must make “difficult decisions” regarding further mobilization

Ukraine has to make "difficult decisions" regarding the mobilization of citizens in the future to repel Russian attacks, but these measures are necessary, according to the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

He declared this at a press conference in Brussels on December 4.

"This is very important, because even with the availability of money and ammunition, there must be people on the front lines to resist Russian aggression. We have an obligation: every person, every soldier that Ukraine mobilizes must undergo training and receive the equipment necessary for effective defense of the country," the official said.

What preceded

At the end of November, the Administration of the US President Joe Biden called on Kyiv to lower the mobilization age to 18 from the current 25 in order to quickly increase the size of the army.

The "pure math" is that Ukraine needs more troops to fight a full-scale invasion by Moscow, an anonymous US official said. He estimated that Kyiv needs at least 130 000 more soldiers.

National Security Adviser of the US President Jake Sullivan believes that there is no weapon that could change the course of the war. Instead, Ukraine needs to "increase the number of troops on the front lines" to strengthen its position, he says.

The Office of the President of Ukraine responded that such appeals "make no sense" at a time when the previously announced aid does not arrive on time. Allies have full access to the data and can compare the promised with actual delivery volumes, it added.

• In May, a new law on mobilization entered into force in Ukraine. Babel told and explained in detail what it envisions. It states, among other things, that conscripts under the age of 25, who have completed basic military service or training, can mobilize only at their own will.
• During the presentation of the Fortitude Plan in the Verkhovna Rada, Volodymyr Zelensky declared a change in management approaches in the Armed Forces. The President stressed that there will be no lowering of the mobilization age in Ukraine.

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