US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that despite significant military assistance from the West, the personnel shortage in the Ukrainian armed forces remains an acute problem. He commented on the situation in Ukraine in an interview with Bloomberg, noting that this is a critical issue for the Ukrainian army, reported Evropeyskaya Pravda, quoted by Focus.
Sullivan stressed that Ukraine has reduced the mobilization age from 27 to 25 years, but added that the problem with personnel in the army has escalated over time.
„Over the past year, the personnel shortage has worsened, and the need for Ukraine to fully man its brigades and battalions, after we provided them with a huge amount of ammunition and military equipment, is even greater," Sullivan said.
He specified that the problem with personnel was also shared with Donald Trump's new team, which was also informed of the seriousness of the situation.
“We made it clear, including publicly, that the lack of sufficient personnel is a serious problem. Ukraine will have to deal with it, even as we continue to provide the necessary weapons," Sullivan said. At the same time, he emphasized that this decision should be made by Ukraine, as a sovereign right.
Proposals to lower the mobilization age in Ukraine are not new. Mike Volz, Donald Trump's future national security adviser, said that Ukraine should lower the mobilization age to 18 years in order to attract new personnel and stabilize the front line.
Over the past year, there have been several calls from the United States for Ukraine to lower the mobilization age in order to attract more soldiers to the front. This was emphasized on the grounds that the shortage of personnel on the front line had led to Russia's successes in the east.
Media sources reported that the differences in the quantitative indicators of mobilization and mobilization age had led to tensions in relations between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States.