Source: Zelensky in an interview with the British channel Sky News
Details: According to the President, Ukraine's issue lies in equipping soldiers with weapons and equipment, rather than the number of troops available.
Direct speech: "They (the partners – ed.) talk about mobilization, but the real problem is with the 10 brigades that our partners have not equipped. I requested this more than a year ago, stating that we need to equip these brigades. We made this decision with the United States and European allies, and as of today, Europe and the United States have fully equipped two and a half brigades.
Details: Among the reasons for this situation, Zelensky mentioned "some bureaucracy, some decisions, and some do not consider it a priority," adding that "it is always like this in this war."
Direct speech: "Someone asked me about mobilization, and I do not want to assert that this is the position of some leaders in Europe. Like, young people are needed and so on. And I replied: do you want someone to go to death without weapons?"
Details: The President emphasized that decisions regarding the number of servicemen in Ukraine are made with the aim of preserving as many lives as possible.
"And if European or American officials have ideas regarding the age of mobilization, I want to ask our partners to do their job, while we will do ours," Zelensky stressed.
Background:
- The spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Georgy Tikhiy, confirmed on November 28 that Ukraine is indeed discussing the topic of lowering the mobilization age in negotiations with Western partners.
- On the eve, media outlets, citing a Biden administration official, reported that the U.S. is urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its armed forces by, among other measures, revising mobilization legislation to allow drafting people from the age of 18.
- On November 19, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that Ukraine has received a lot of various American weapons, yet still finds itself in a difficult situation on the battlefield – which he attributed to mobilization issues.