US tells Ukraine to start conscripting teenagers amidst waning recruitment.

Washington is willing to fight this war 'til the very last Ukrainian.

Good day, spectators,

And I was flicking through the news this morning when I came upon a rather insidious headline. The lame duck Biden administration, in its infinite wisdom, has decided the best way for Ukraine to fix its flagging war effort is to conscript teenagers. Lower the draft age from 25 to 18, they say. Mobilise the youth, they demand. And all this amongst a growing demographic crisis. If you haven’t already, I can only recommend taking 15 minutes to read through this deep dive to learn what the situation is like in Ukraine.

A senior US official declared on Wednesday that ‘Ukraine is not mobilising or training enough soldiers,’ as if the country hasn’t already sacrificed a massive chunk of its population trying to hold the line. With Russian forces making their fastest gains in two years and North Korean troops bolstering Moscow’s efforts, the US is now pressing Ukraine to take drastic action. Forget the lives these young people could have ahead of them, the war machine needs feeding and it is insatiable.

The timing is no coincidence either. Biden’s team is frantically trying to finalise a $7 billion aid package before President-elect Trump takes office in January, with his promises to ‘end the war quickly’ looming over every decision. Trump has already appointed retired general Keith Kellogg as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, and whispers of frozen conflicts and forced negotiations are growing louder.

Despite US pressure, Zelenskyy’s government has resisted lowering the draft age, with Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna calling for more weapons and better training instead of sending teenagers to the front. But it’s clear that for Washington, equipment isn’t enough—Jake Sullivan and John Kirby have both believe that manpower is the real problem. But they won’t send their own.

So, here we are: a desperate US telling a battered Ukraine to draft its youth into a war it may not win, all while Russia digs in deeper and the clock ticks towards Trump’s inauguration. Once again, Ukraine finds itself caught between the needs of its allies and the limits of its own survival.

The message is clear: keep the war going, no matter the cost. Even if that cost is Ukraine’s future.

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