Lame-duck President Joe Biden’s administration is calling on Ukraine to keep its war with Russia going by lowering the age of conscription to allow teenagers to be sent off to the meat grinder.
Currently, the age of conscription in Ukraine is 25.
However, senior Biden admin officials are pressuring the Ukrainian government to lower the age to 18.
The Biden administration argues that Ukraine to lower its draft age to keep pace with Russia’s growing military.
It comes as the outgoing Biden admin pushes to escalate the war before President Donald Trump enters office in January with a plan for peace.
The conflict has expanded dramatically in recent weeks, almost three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
A senior Biden admin official told The Associated Press Wednesday that “the pure math” of Ukraine’s situation calls for lowering the draft age.
Reducing the conscription age from 25 would allow Ukraine to expand its outnumbered fighting force and prolong the war.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Ukraine is failing to mobilize and train enough soldiers to replace its battlefield losses and keep pace with Russia’s growing forces.
In April, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law that lowered the military conscription age from 27 to 25 to replenish its depleted ranks.
Lowering the minimum conscription age, however, has some Ukrainians worried.
Many fear that taking more young adults out of the workforce could further damage its already war-ravaged economy.
Some Ukrainian officials see the push from the U.S. as part of a Western effort to distract from their own delays in providing weaponry and other equipment.
Even with more than 1 million Ukrainians now in uniform, including the National Guard and other units, Ukraine officials have said they need about 160,000 additional troops to keep pace on the battlefield.
But the Biden admin believes they probably will need even more.
The White House is arguing that shoring up Ukraine’s manpower shortage far eclipses the need for military equipment.
White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett in a statement said the administration will continue sending Ukraine weaponry.
However, Savett believes “manpower is the most vital need” for Ukraine.
“So, we’re also ready to ramp up our training capacity if they take appropriate steps to fill out their ranks,” Savett said.
The White House has pushed more than $56 billion in taxpayer-funded security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion.
The administration is hoping to send billions more to perpetuate the war before Biden leaves office in less than two months.
President Trump has said that he will bring about a swift end to the war when he takes office on January 20, 2025.
However, concerns are growing that Biden may escalate the conflict beyond the point of no return before Trump can be sworn in and secure peace.