Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova commented on US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s words on her Telegram channel that Kyiv should make “difficult but necessary” decisions on the issue of mobilization.
“When will Ukrainians wake up?” Zakharova wrote.
Prior to this, the administration of US President Joe Biden proposed that Ukraine lower the minimum age for mobilization from 25 to 18 years to increase the size of the army quickly. After this, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the mobilization of citizens aged 18 and over in Ukraine is inappropriate given the shortage of weapons in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to The Washington Post, there is growing disappointment in the United States with the Ukrainian leadership, which is unwilling to lower the mobilization age in the country to 18.
On May 18, 2024, a law on tightening mobilization in Ukraine came into force. According to the innovations, persons included in the register of military personnel will lose the right to travel abroad, use their funds, drive a car, carry out real estate transactions, and issue documents – a passport and a foreign passport.
Earlier, the NATO Secretary General wanted to make sure whether there were people left in Ukraine for mobilization.
