More weapons in exchange for lowering the mobilization age: Zelenskyy identifies the prerequisite for negotiations with Russia.

The US may put forward a condition for the provision of additional military aid to Ukraine – lowering the mobilization age for men. President Zelenskyy has refrained from raising the conscription age, despite its ability to increase enlistment in Ukraine’s military, as the move carries political risk given the population’s war fatigue and widespread draft evasion.

The Times notes that if Ukraine agrees to the change, the country will receive significantly more military aid, including modern weapons and Western support. However, Zelenskyy emphasizes that weapons and missiles are needed immediately, not an increase in the army’s size.

The Ukrainian president also said that returning the Russian army to its starting point at the beginning of the invasion is a condition that justifies starting negotiations with Russia. But it all depends on whether Ukraine’s views on justice coincide with the new US administration, the EU, and the countries of the Global South.