According to The Washington Post, some in the current US administration are worried that no matter what aid is given to it, the Ukrainian army will be unable to deter Russia without more troops.

Officials say the Biden administration is engaged in a final effort to provide Ukraine with additional weapons worth billions of dollars, a massive undertaking that has raised internal concerns about its impact on depleting US stockpiles and draining resources from other areas. 

White House spokesperson John Kirby said last week that the US is "absolutely" going to continue funding Ukraine, emphasizing that aid was not the only vital thing but so was manpower.

"In fact, we believe manpower is the most vital need they have. So we’re also ready to ramp up our training capacity if they take appropriate steps to fill out their ranks.”

In recent weeks, Russian forces have seized territory at the fastest pace since 2022, raising concerns in Washington. Administration officials say that pushing weapons into Ukraine at the end of their term could give Kiev some breathing room, but are urging Ukraine to expand their army beyond the 160,000 recruits Kiev claims it needs.

One US official said, “The munitions gap may not be completely closed between Ukraine and Russia, but it’s gotten a whole lot better. But on the manpower side, it’s just a question of math and physics,” adding that he was not trying to "accuse Ukraine of anything," calling it a "challenging issue" for them.

“But over the course of especially this last year, it’s just that they’re not mobilizing and training enough soldiers to replace battlefield losses," the official noted. 

US pushing Kiev to lower conscription age

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The United States is urgin Ukraine to lower its minimum conscription age from 25 to 18, citing a need for more manpower to counter Russia's advances. However, this push has drawn criticism from Ukrainian officials who argue that existing logistical challenges and equipment shortages make such a move unreasonable.

Dmitry Litvin, an aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, condemned the proposal on Thursday, stating that Ukraine lacks sufficient weapons to arm its current troops.

"It does not make sense to see calls for Ukraine to lower the mobilization age, presumably in order to draft more people, when we can see that previously announced equipment is not arriving on time," Litvin wrote on X, adding that "Ukraine cannot be expected to compensate for delays in logistics or hesitation in support with the youth of our men on the front line."

Ukrainian forces have used US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles, and in response, Russia launched the Oreshnik nuclear-capable missile and updated its nuclear policy.

Ukrainian troops report leadership failures amid rising desertions

Ukrainian forces are facing severe losses and an increase in desertions within the special operation zone, with soldiers voicing frustration over unreliable commanders and insufficient equipment, according to the Financial Times.

“We arrived [in Ugledar] with just automatic rifles. They said there would be 150 tanks; there were 20 ... and nothing to cover us,” a Ukrainian officer said, as quoted by FT.

The report highlighted that hundreds of soldiers from a Ukrainian unit in Ugledar fled due to a critical lack of weapons.

Desertions in the first 10 months of this year have outpaced those of the previous two years combined, underscoring Kiev’s mounting challenges in replenishing frontline troops as Russian forces maintain steady advances.

Between January and October 2024, Ukrainian prosecutors initiated 60,000 cases against soldiers for abandoning their posts—nearly double the total from 2022 and 2023 combined.

Recently, President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Ukraine's international sponsors for failing to adequately equip the country's military brigades.