Ukraine is actively working to secure much-needed new supplies of weapons and ammunition from a substantial U.S. aid package to bolster its eastern front line, where Russian forces are intensifying their efforts to gain ground from Ukrainian troops who are facing significant challenges due to being outnumbered and outgunned.
In a bid to address the drain of potential soldiers leaving the country, Ukraine has announced a new measure that men of conscription age will no longer be able to renew their passports from outside the country. The Cabinet of Ministers stated that men between 18 and 60 who are considered fit for military service will only be permitted to renew their passports within Ukraine.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, millions of Ukrainians have fled the country, with a significant number relocating to neighboring European countries. The European Union's statistics agency, Eurostat, reports that 4.3 million Ukrainians are currently residing in EU countries, including 860,000 men aged 18 or older.
Poland, which hosts one of the largest Ukrainian diasporas, has expressed readiness to assist in ensuring that individuals subject to compulsory military service fulfill their obligations towards Ukraine, although specific details were not provided.
President Joe Biden recently signed a $61 billion U.S. military aid package to support Ukraine's armed forces in their ongoing conflict with Russia, providing crucial assistance to Kyiv's troops who have faced shortages of artillery ammunition and air defense missiles.
Ukraine's general staff has described the situation at the front as 'difficult,' with ongoing clashes and incidents, including an incident in the Cherkasy region where six people were injured after a high-speed target struck a critical infrastructure object.
Amid escalating tensions, the United Kingdom's Treasury chief visited Kyiv and urged all NATO countries to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP to support Ukraine and exert pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. The U.K. has pledged to maintain its current level of military support for Ukraine and announced additional aid, including ammunition, vehicles, boats, and strike and air defense missiles.
The international community continues to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine as efforts are made to address the escalating conflict and provide essential support to the Ukrainian armed forces.
