Amid U.S. pressure, Ukraine starts thinking about drafting 18-year-olds

For nearly three years, Ukraine has resisted drafting men as young as 18, as is done by so many other wartime armies — a choice that has baffled some of Kyiv’s Western allies but is a deeply sensitive issue at home.

As Russia has continued gaining ground on the battlefield with high-attrition-style combat, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is facing increased pressure to deploy more younger people to the front lines. With future aid from Washington uncertain, U.S. officials have warned that Ukraine’s personnel shortage is perhaps more critical right now than its arms deficit.

“Even with the money, even with the munitions, there have to be people on the front lines to deal with the Russian aggression,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Brussels last week.

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