In an interview with PBS News Hour, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called for Ukraine to step up its mobilization efforts as Kiev is facing a manpower shortage. President Joe Biden’s top foreign policy adviser also admitted that advanced American weapons systems have had little battlefield impact.
In his conversation with Nick Schifrin on Monday, Sullivan said, “Our view has been that there’s not one weapon system that makes a difference in this battle. It’s about manpower, and Ukraine needs to do more, in our view, to firm up its lines in terms of the number of forces it has on the front lines.” He continued, “Where is the straightest line between Ukrainian performance and inputs? It’s on mobilization and manpower.”
Kiev has used conscription to fill its ranks as war morale in Ukraine has sunk, and the Ukrainian military has suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties. Earlier this year, Ukraine dropped its conscription age from 27 to 25. Still, American politicians, such as Senator Lindsey Graham, demanded that Kiev go even further.
“I would hope that those eligible to serve in the Ukrainian military would join. I can’t believe it’s at 27,” Graham said in March. “You’re in a fight for your life, so you should be serving — not at 25 or 27. We need more people in the line.”
In the interview, Sullivan admitted that Washington’s most advanced military equipment has not made a difference on the battlefield. “We have provided the tanks. We have provided the F-16s. We have provided the HIMARS. We have provided the Patriots. We have provided many of the things that you said earlier we wouldn’t provide.” He added, “And it’s not back then. It’s, rather, today that Ukraine finds itself in a more challenged position on the battlefield, suggesting that there’s not a straight line between those weapons systems and how it does on the battlefield.”
While the advanced weapons failed to turn back the Russian advance, they escalated tensions between Moscow and Washington. The Kremlin has warned that Western support for Ukraine has Russia on the brink of a direct war with NATO.
The lack of success and Russian threats have not deterred the White House as this week marked another major escalation in the conflict with Biden greenlighting Kiev to use American long-range missiles for attacks inside Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has altered Russia’s nuclear doctrine to allow it to use nuclear weapons in response to such long-range missile attacks.
