Changes to the legislation are needed to make it modern and focused exclusively on veterans and their families. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this during his address to participants of the IX International Veterans Forum.
German Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and General Keith Kellogg also attended the forum.
The Head of State noted that holding the event traditionally on the eve of Ukraine’s Independence Day is symbolic and sends a clear message about whom we owe the opportunity to celebrate this holiday to – Ukrainian warriors.
“We must honor not only that day, August 24, 1991, but every day, every act, every battle that has protected Ukraine from Russia – both since 2022 and since 2014 – and that are manifested here and now in each of you: in our warriors, our veterans, and the loved ones of our defenders,” the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked everyone who is defending Ukraine and called for remembering all those who gave their lives fighting for it. Those present observed a minute of silence to honor the memory of Ukraine’s defenders.
The Head of State emphasized that Ukraine needs a fresh perspective and genuine, effective systematization of veteran policy. Our respect for veterans must be reflected in concrete, systematic work by state institutions and in communities.
According to the President, changes to the legislation are needed. It must be modern and focused exclusively on veterans and their families. The Head of State instructed government officials, parliamentarians, and the veterans’ community to prepare legislative proposals.
“Veterans deserve separate legislative attention and special respect. And this must apply not only to veterans themselves, but also to veterans’ families. Unfortunately, this is still not fully reflected in our state policy or in communities’ work. But the family of a veteran, the family of our fallen warrior, the family of our warrior, of a prisoner of war, of someone missing in action – families must be full-fledged subjects of veterans policy,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
Particular attention should be paid to the substance of veteran policy – to what gives it meaning: reducing bureaucracy, making support during adaptation after the front more understandable, increasing opportunities during rehabilitation, and strengthening cooperation with partners on financial support for necessary projects.
“I ask the Government of Ukraine as a whole, and the Ministries of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Health, Social Policy, and Finance, and also involve our team, involve parliamentarians and heads of communities, to propose solutions for the necessary changes in all aspects of social support for veterans and members of our heroes’ families; in the veteran’s transition from military service to civilian life; and in the system of state and local services for veterans – so that they reflect today’s realities. Everything is changing, our lives are changing, and therefore our approaches need to change,” the President said.
In particular, this concerns the digitization of paperwork and obtaining documents. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that a veteran should not have to act as a courier between government agencies, carrying documents back and forth – everything should be automated and simplified.
“We must also ensure clear, professional training across all our institutions – including veteran assistants and other specialists. It is important that they do not have to guide veterans toward nonexistent services. We need clear data on what should form the basis of decisions by the state and communities, so that the decisions we make always work in practice,” the President emphasized.
The Head of State thanked the parliamentarians for adopting a law on ensuring that warriors, veterans, and service members who have returned from captivity receive proper medical care, rehabilitation, and prosthetics. Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that many resolutions had previously been adopted as experimental ones and should be scaled up and ultimately implemented.
“If the relevant resolution and programs supporting, for example, dental treatment and dental prosthetics have proven effective, then we need to expand them and use these concrete measures as a starting point for addressing all the other needs and prospects that are highly relevant – both for a veteran and for their family. So that it is not only the veteran, but also the family that supports them, waits for them, and devotes itself to them, that receives all the necessary assistance and is not left alone with all the challenges,” he emphasized.
It is also important to ensure that veterans and their loved ones have opportunities for proper rest and adaptation, and not only in state-run facilities. Updated programs should also promote educational support, veteran sports, and veteran businesses.
“A veteran is our asset – an asset to the state, someone who can, in fact, help the state itself. The veteran community is one of the foundations of our social order. And that is exactly how we must shape our policy – a true policy of heroes, not a policy of trying to give something to a veteran only to stop noticing them afterward,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
The President separately highlighted the work to create the Ukrainian Pantheon of Heroes – the Verkhovna Rada recently adopted the relevant law. The Head of State is convinced that properly honoring the true Ukrainian heroes of different eras who fought for Ukraine and our independence and inspire us all to be strong today is not only the duty of the state but also of every community.
“It should not be someone else deciding on behalf of Ukrainian warriors and veterans what should constitute an honoring of their strength and how it will be. But those who won freedom for Ukraine must have a direct say in how that strength is preserved in the history of our state, and not only our state, but history as a whole, in the memory of the people and society, and through memorial sites in our communities,” the President said.
The Head of State presented veterans with the Orders of Merit, III class; “For Courage,” I class; of Princess Olga, III class; the Medal “For Saved Life”; and awarded the honorary title “Merited Doctor of Ukraine.”
Among those honored are veterans who continue to engage in active civic work after their service, including in the veteran sphere; medical professionals who have provided assistance to many wounded defenders; and volunteers who have spent years helping provide supplies to warriors on the front.
