Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Berri: It is our fate every Eid al-Adha to offer sacrifices in defense of Lebanon and its sovereignty, and the aggression will not prevent us from celebrating our holidays
Berri: Our positions must be unifying for all Lebanese in confronting the Israeli aggressiveness, which does not target a specific sect or region, but rather all of Lebanon and the Lebanese, and even Arabs and Muslims in their holiest sanctities
Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon Nabih Berri: Our position regarding the continuous Israeli violation of Lebanon is identical to and adopts the position of the President of the Republic in all national and sovereign dimensions
Israeli raids strike eight residential buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs; shelling reported in Ain Qana, southern Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Another Israeli airstrike targets Beirut’s southern suburb
Saree: The operation comes in solidarity with the oppressed Palestinian people and in response to the aggression against Beirut’s southern suburb
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson: The operation successfully achieved its objective, forcing millions of Israeli settlers to flee into shelters
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Yahya Saree: We targeted Lod Airport (Ben Gurion Airport) in the occupied Yafa area with a hypersonic ballistic missile, the “Palestine 2” type
Salam: We call on the international community to hold "Israel" accountable, halt its attacks, and ensure full withdrawal from Lebanese territory
Salam: These attacks constitute a blatant violation of Lebanese sovereignty and UN Security Council Resolution 1701

US worried over Ukraine's manpower, resources shortage: WashPo

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Washington Post
  • 2 Dec 2024 19:14
4 Min Read

US officials are concerned that despite increased aid, Ukraine's military will remain unable to deter Russia without more troops, with the Biden administration urging Ukraine to lower its conscription age while facing mounting challenges of recruitment, desertions, and insufficient equipment.

Listen
  • x
  • Biden surges arms to Ukraine, fearing Trump will halt aid
    US President Joe Biden listens as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on September 26, 2024. (AP)

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

Related News

Procter & Gamble to lay off 7,000 employees: WSJ

US imposes sanctions on ICC judges over Netanyahu arrest warrant

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.

  • United States
  • The Washington Post
  • Russia
  • Ukraine aid
  • Kiev
  • military aid
  • Ukraine
  • Ukraine war
  • Donald Trump
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Most Read

Lebanon's PM Nawaf Salam meets with US envoy Morgan Ortagus in Beirut on April 5, 2025 (Dalati Nohra via AP)AP)

Morgan Ortagus to exit US role in Lebanon amid policy shift

  • Politics
  • 1 Jun 2025
A Palestinian woman mourns as she embraces the body of her daughter Mayar Abu Odeh, 8, who was killed in an Israeli army strike on Gaza. at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP)

French port workers block arms shipment to 'Israel' amid Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 4 Jun 2025
It may well be due to the longstanding relationship between MI6 and HTS, via Inter Mediate, that Britain was the first Western country to recognise their assumption of government in Syria. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab El-Hajj)

How MI6 helped HTS seize Syria

  • Opinion
  • 31 May 2025
Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP)

Boston Consulting Group withdraws from GHF

  • Palestine
  • 3 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Poll
Palestine

Sharp decline in international perception of 'Israel', Netanyahu: Poll

Ukrainian soldiers with the anti-drone KVS G-6, manufactured by Kvertus Technology.Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/Facebook
US & Canada

Shift in US priorities: Drone fuzes reallocated from Kiev to CENTCOM

US Jews accuse Trump of antisemitism despite his pro-'Israel' stance
US & Canada

US Jews accuse Trump of antisemitism despite his pro-'Israel' stance

Former US President Joe Biden speaks from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Sept. 30, 2024 (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
US & Canada

Trump orders investigation into Biden’s autopen use, cognitive fitness

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS