U.S. President-elect Donald Trump reportedly intends to push Kyiv to lower its conscription age from 25 to 18. Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security advisor pick, argued that Ukraine needs to mobilize more soldiers to stabilize frontlines ahead of negotiations.
Speaking to ABC News, Waltz said that getting a stronger negotiating position would have to be among the first steps to end the war after opening diplomatic dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“If Ukrainians have asked the whole world to be all in for democracy, we need them to be all in for democracy,” Waltz said, in comments reported by The Financial Times. “And they certainly have fought bravely and they certainly have taken a very noble and tough stand. But we need to see those manpower shortages addressed.”
“This isn’t just about munitions, ammunition, or writing more cheques. It’s about seeing the front lines stabilize so that we can enter into some type of deal,” he added.
The incoming national security advisor also said that preparations for a Trump-Putin peace summit were underway and that he expects it to take place very soon. Two days earlier, the Kremlin also confirmed that President Putin was ready to meet Trump after his inauguration on January 20th, and that “no conditions are required” to make the meeting happen.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, on the other hand, has repeatedly turned down previous requests from the Biden administration to lower the conscription age.
The country already lowered the threshold from 27 to 25 in April last year, although the average age of Ukrainian soldiers serving on the front is still 43. Lowering the conscription age further and mobilizing the youth would be an extremely unpopular move, something Zelensky would rather avoid.
While Western media and politicians often speak about Ukraine’s unwavering determination to win the war at whatever cost, in reality, many people in Ukraine are tired of the conflict. A Gallup poll, conducted in August and October of last year, concluded that the majority of Ukrainians now favor peace negotiations even if it means ceding territory, with an average of 52% of respondents wanting a ceasefire “as soon as possible.” In contrast, only 38% said Kyiv should fight until it wins, down from 73% in 2022.
At the same time, both the president’s and the government’s approval ratings continue to plummet throughout Ukrainian-controlled territory. The latest polls put Zelensky’s approval at 52%, down from nearly 90% at the beginning of the war. While this is still more than half, Ukrainians are now much more distrustful of the government, with only 28% saying they have confidence in the country’s political leadership back in November.
It is understandable why Kyiv would not want to risk a public revolt by bringing the conscription age to 18. However, Zelensky also argues that there would not be a point in mobilizing more people as the country lacks enough weapons to arm them.
Back in September, Zelensky stated that Kyiv already had about 30,000 soldiers that it was unable to equip due to weapon shortages. The Biden administration later said it was prepared to train and equip more Ukrainian soldiers as long as Zelensky agreed to lower the conscription age, which the president turned down immediately.
