The administration of US President Joe Biden called on Ukraine to lower the minimum age for military mobilization from the current 25 years to 18 years to compensate for the shortage of military personnel, reported France Press and Associated Press, quoted by BTA.
This call comes weeks before the inauguration of Republican Donald Trump, who could take a new approach to Ukraine.
A senior Biden administration official said Ukraine is facing an existential crisis in military recruitment. Her reserves of volunteer reservists are dwindling in the face of an enemy who is growing in numbers and who is better equipped.
"The truth is that Ukraine is not currently mobilizing and preparing enough military to replace losses on the battlefield and to counter the growth of Russian forces,” the representative said, quoted by AFP.
Kyiv has already lowered the age for mobilization from 27 to 25.
The White House clarified yesterday that American military aid will not be tied in any way to a condition of lowering the age of mobilization in the Ukrainian army.
"We will continue to send weapons and equipment to Ukraine. We know this is vitally important. But human resources are also a sign," said John Kirby, the White House spokesman. He added that the administration believes that human resources are Ukraine's most vital need, and for that reason, the United States is willing to increase its training capabilities for Ukrainian military personnel if Ukrainian forces take appropriate steps to replenish their ranks.
The Ukrainians say they need about 160,000 additional troops to meet their needs on the battlefield, but the US administration believes they will likely need more, the Associated Press notes. Currently, over 1 million Ukrainians are in uniform, including in the National Guard and other units.
Meanwhile, Odessa and the region were attacked with more than 10 Russian "Caliber" missiles, local channels in "Telegram" reported, quoted by BTA.
There were loud explosions in the Ukrainian Black Sea city.
Local authorities called on the population to take shelter in bomb shelters.
The air alert was announced at 05.11, and the first explosions resounded after about 15 minutes.
Bulgarians in Odesa region number over 150,000 people and are the third most numerous according to the official census in Ukraine in 2001. About 50-60 thousand Bulgarians live in the city of Odessa itself. The largest compact Bulgarian population is concentrated in Bolgrad, Izmail and Belgorod-Dniester regions.