Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Sky News that Ukraine has requested equipment for 10 military brigades, but Western partners have fully outfitted only two and a half brigades.
The statements follows the announcment from several countries about equipment of Ukrainia brigades. In particular, French government supplied another army brigade with French weapons as part of its military aid to Ukraine. France has committed to training and equipping the 155th Mechanized Brigade, named after Anna of Kyiv, with 2,300 soldiers undergoing training in France. This brigade will receive various military assets, including 128 VAB armored personnel carriers, 18 CAESAR self-propelled artillery units, and light tanks.
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s primary issue is not troop numbers, but the lack of proper equipment and weaponry. The president said that he had been requesting this support for over a year, with initial agreements made with the United States and European allies.
“They talk about mobilization, but the real problem is with 10 brigades that our partners have not equipped,” he said.
Addressing concerns about mobilization, Zelenskyy challenged the approach of some European leaders who seem focused on recruiting young people. “Do you want someone to go to their death without weapons?” he said.
The president stressed that decisions about military personnel are made with the primary goal of preserving as many lives as possible.
“If European or American officials have ideas about mobilization age, I want to ask our partners to do their job, and we will do ours,” Zelenskyy added.
This comes in the context of ongoing discussions about Ukraine’s military strategy. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Georgiy Tykhy, Ukraine is indeed discussing the possibility of lowering the mobilization age with Western partners.
Recent reports, citing a Biden administration official, suggest that the United States is encouraging Ukraine to quickly increase its armed forces, potentially by revising mobilization legislation to allow conscription from age 18.
On 19 November, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that while Ukraine has received various American weapons, the country continues to face challenges on the battlefield, pointing to mobilization issues as a key concern.
Read also:
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- France to train and outfit another Ukrainian brigade with equipment, Zelenskyy says
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