US top diplomat suggests big change in Ukraine's military recruitment rules

At NATO headquarters in Brussels Antony Blinken made a direct-but-controversial suggestion about Ukraines military needs: its time to get younger people into the fight. The current call-up age starts at 25 (which changed from 27 about a year-and-half ago)

Western allies who stayed quiet on this topic before are now speaking up; their view is that Kiev needs more soldiers to push-back against Russian advances. Mark Rutte the NATO chief also shared this idea: “We need probably more people to move to the front line“

The commitment that we have as an alliance and as countries that support Ukraine is to make sure that for every force that they mobilise‚ we will provide training‚ weʼll provide equipment

Ukrainian officials dont want to lower the age limit; they say its important to protect young people for the countrys future. The initial rush of volunteers after Russias attack has slowed down‚ and some soldiers who joined early cant leave due to current rules. Equipment shortages are also a big issue: Kiev says it needs more weapons before it can add more troops

• Some troops have been fighting since before the invasion
• Many early volunteers cant demobilize under todays rules
• Some people left Ukraine to avoid service
• Officials worry about demographic impact

The situation is more urgent now because US future support isnt clear‚ and Russia keeps finding new soldiers from its outer regions. Ukraine needs to make hard choices about its military strength - but these choices will affect its whole society