U.S. promises support if Ukraine expands mobilization. Zelenskyy prioritizes weapons supply

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller mentioned this during a briefing.

"What we have made clear is that if they produce additional forces to join the fight, we and our allies will be ready to equip those forces and train those forces to enter battle," Miller said.

However, Miller underlined that decisions about mobilization are entirely up to Ukraine.

Updated at 10:30 a.m. Matthew Miller did not directly refer to lowering Ukraine’s draft age. However, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry previously confirmed that the United States raised this issue.

Zelenskyy: Equipment and training are the priority, not lowering the draft age

Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that the focus should be on equipping current brigades and training personnel to use the equipment.

"There’s been a lot of talk in the media about lowering the draft age for Ukrainians sent to the front. Our focus must remain on providing existing brigades with equipment and training for its use. We cannot compensate for a lack of equipment and training by relying on younger soldiers. The priority should be delivering missiles and reducing Russia’s military capabilities — not reducing the draft age in Ukraine. The goal is to save lives, not keep weapons in storage," Zelenskyy stressed.

He also highlighted the importance of finding a way to end the war.

"That was the focus of our meeting in Paris, and it was a productive discussion. I want to thank President Macron for hosting and express my deep gratitude to President Trump for his firm commitment to achieving a just resolution. This is the right approach, and we need to carefully work through every detail to secure lasting peace," Zelenskyy added.

• On November 28, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi confirmed that the U.S. raised the idea of lowering Ukraine’s mobilization age to 18. However, Kyiv insists that military aid takes precedence.
• On December 1, Oleh Dombrovskyi, spokesperson for the West Operational Command of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, said there’s currently no need to mobilize citizens aged 18 to 25. He emphasized that mobilization decisions must remain independent of external pressure.
• Fedir Venislavsky, a member of Ukraine’s parliamentary Committee on National Security, confirmed that there are no active proposals to lower the draft age or enforce mobilization for women.
• On December 7, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace.