[ Source: AP ]

Ukraine is in the final stages of drafting recruitment reforms to attract 18- to 25-year-olds.

Who are currently exempt from mobilization as it looks for ways to bolster its fighting force, the battlefield commander recently appointed to the President’s Office said.

In his first interview with foreign media since taking up his new position last fall, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Colonel Pavlo Palisa said Ukraine is exploring new recruitment options because the current drafting system inherited from Soviet times is hindering progress.

While Ukraine passed a mobilization law last spring and lowered the age of conscription from 27 to 25 years old, the measures have not had the impact needed to replenish its ranks or replace battlefield losses in its war with Russia.

One initiative is what Palisa described as an “honest contract,” a plan that includes financial incentives, clear guarantees for training, and measures to ensure dialogue between soldiers and their commanders. The plan is aimed at attracting mainly 18- to 25-year-olds who are currently exempt from mobilization, and will also target Ukrainians who have the right to deferment or were discharged after the mobilization law was passed.

“To secure the unit commander and the contract soldier, establish open and professional relations between them, and set clear boundaries that are understandable to both,” he said Wednesday. “In my opinion, this is essential for effective dialogue.”

The effort, which Palisa said is in its final stages, could help respond to calls aired by both the Biden and Trump administrations that Ukraine could expand its manpower by lowering the conscription age.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been adamantly opposed to implementing obligatory mobilization starting from 18 years old, saying doing so would radically affect the future prospects of the war-weary country.