The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has warned that Kyiv has some “hard decisions to make” over mobilising troops.
Speaking at a meeting with NATO Foreign Ministers Blinken said manpower on the frontlines is an issue for Ukraine as they have equipment shortages.
Blinken said, “Ukraine has hard decisions to make about further mobilisation, but these are necessary decisions.
“This is critical, because even with the money, even with the munitions, there have to be people on the frontlines to deal with the Russian aggression.”
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“For every person, every soldier that Ukraine mobilises, we are committed to making sure that they have the training and the equipment they need to effectively defend the country,” the US Secretary of State added.
The White House has been pushing for President Volodymyr Zelensky to lower the conscription age to 18 which will boost troop numbers in the war-torn country.
“The need right now is manpower,” a senior Biden administration official said last week.
“The Russians are in fact making progress, steady progress, in the east, and they are beginning to push back Ukrainian lines in Kursk … Mobilisation and more manpower could make a significant difference at this time, as we look at the battlefield today.”
The Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security Council Oleksandr Lytvynenko told Parliament the army is planning to recruit a further 160,000 people over the next three months.
He also said that Ukraine lacks weapons and ammunition to fight Russian forces, he said delays in weapon deliveries from the West has meant Kyiv “lacks weapons to equip already mobilised soldiers.
“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. Because of these delays, Ukraine lacks weapons to equip already mobilized soldiers
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