The outgoing US administration of President Joe Biden urged Ukraine Wednesday to reduce the minimum conscription age to 18 from 25 to tackle a manpower shortage as Russian forces press in.

Axar.az reports that, citing AFP, a senior Biden administration official said that Ukraine was facing an “existential” recruitment crunch as it confronts a much larger enemy with more advanced weapons, and with its stocks of volunteers dwindling.

“The simple truth is that Ukraine is not currently mobilizing or training enough soldiers to replace their battlefield losses while keeping pace with Russia’s growing military.”