Commenting on Western officials’ statements about lowering the conscription age in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the issue of weapons and equipment is a priority for the Ukrainian army.

Source: Interfax-Ukraine, quoting Zelenskyy before his meeting with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius in Kyiv on Tuesday

Quote: "And so, when we talk about increasing the number of our people [in the army – ed.], we must understand that, firstly, our brigades are not properly equipped today. We need to provide our brigades with the appropriate equipment. Our partners have all these requests," Zelenskyy said.

"We have heard many times about the age of our military – the conscription age and all that. And, as was rightly said, by representatives of the [soon to be] former administration [of US President Joe Biden – ed.], also by representatives of NATO countries... You know, I'm not going to say a very clear figure, because it's dangerous, but we have more than a hundred brigades on the battlefield, and each of these brigades needs equipment every day."

Background:

• US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has repeatedly stated that Ukraine should step up its mobilisation.
• On 14 January, Sullivan said that the shortage of manpower in the Ukrainian army remained an acute problem, despite significant military assistance from the West.
• On 12 January, Donald Trump's future national security adviser, Congressman Mike Waltz, believes that Ukraine should lower the draft age to attract hundreds of thousands of new troops and stabilise the frontline.

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