KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Scores of protesters gathered on the streets of Ukrainian cities on Friday to demand a cap of 18 months on mandatory military service, amid new suggestions of possible Ukrainian and international weariness with the 20-month war.
Both the warring sides are striving to keep their military momentum, though neither side has been able to land a knockout blow, and the fighting is expected to drag on deep into next year.
Ukraine ordered a general mobilization of the male population between the ages of 25 to 60 when Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. The vast majority joined up as volunteers. As the war grinds on, Ukraine has ramped up the draft.
The 18-month service limit sought by the protesters would be the same maximum as before the war. It is currently open-ended for draftees. The protesters, who are part of a loose national network, want the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, to consider possible alternatives on service time.
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The bid to overrun the city has backfired on the Kremlin’s forces, robbing it of troops and heavy equipment that “will likely undermine Russian offensive capabilities over the long term,” the Institute for the Study of War said late Thursday.
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The Kremlin’s forces have failed in their weekslong effort to surround the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he told U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a phone call on Friday.
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Moscow has stepped up its military production and has reportedly turned to North Korea and Iran to replenish its stockpiles, observers say, while Kyiv is urging its Western allies to keep providing vital support.
The U.S. statement about Russian morale came as President Joe Biden met Thursday with new House Speaker Mike Johnson, a staunch conservative whose support for Ukraine has been more muted than that of the administration.
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, attending an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, said that he was right to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, insisting he was actively seeking peace in Ukraine.
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“Even if the security policy situation worldwide is further escalating and we are looking with great concern at the moment at Israel and the Middle East, we will not stop supporting Ukraine,” Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement.
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The original article contains 888 words, the summary contains 238 words. Saved 73%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
Are you in debug mode? You don’t normally show the tldr bits…
Wait, you’re a different TLDR bot. You don’t have the link to your Github at the bottom.