In efforts to boost conscription numbers, Ukraine has suspended consular services for males aged 18-60 living in or outside of Ukraine until May 18.

The Details: This means those affected won’t be able to renew their passports. Countries like Poland and Latvia have voiced support, saying they will help ensure military-age Ukrainian men return home.

For Context: Earlier this month, Ukraine lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25. According to Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency, 4.3 million Ukrainians live in EU countries and 860,000 of them are men over 18. Last week, the House and Senate approved over $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, among other allotments for Israel and the Indo-Pacific region.

Key Quotes: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba cited fairness as the reason for the suspension: “It’s about justice -- justice in the relationship between Ukrainian men abroad and Ukrainian men inside of Ukraine.” Of men living abroad, he said, “They owe everything they have now in these countries to this fact, their Ukrainian citizenship. And these men should not forget about this when they argue that the state of Ukraine owes them something. They should not forget that they owe much more to the state of Ukraine.”

How The Media Covered It: The Associated Press (Lean Left bias) said many in Ukraine agree with Kuleba’s argument about fairness. Fox News (Right bias) included a perspective from Ukrainian opposition lawmaker Ivanna Klympush-Tsyntsadze who argued denying men living abroad these services could lead to “well-founded” legal challenges in the European Court of Human Rights.