A plan to draft more Ukrainian men into the army has been sitting on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy¡¯s desk since June. The wartime leader so far has defied pressure from the military to sign it.

Instead, Zelenskyy last week asked his government and top brass for a more comprehensive package, one better tailored to a nation exhausted by war and preparing for another winter of fighting. It again put off the blueprint, approved by Ukraine¡¯s parliament, to lower the draft age during war for men with no military experience from 27 to 25.

¡°The law should have taken effect ¡ª the parliament fully backed it,¡± Roman Kostenko, a lawmaker on the parliamentary defense committee, said in an interview. ¡°Conscription is taking place with difficulty now.¡±