Ukraine’s Ministry for Veterans Affairs says the country will not copy the US model of veterans policy but will build its own system tailored to the realities of the war and the needs of Ukrainian society.
“The main conclusion from the meetings is that Ukraine will not copy the American model but will build its own system tailored to the demands of the war and Ukrainian society. At the same time, drawing on many years of international experience will allow us to move along this path much faster,” the ministry said following Ukrainian Veterans Affairs Minister Vitalii Kim’s visit to Washington.
The ministry noted that US experience is extremely valuable for Ukraine as it develops its own veterans policy during the full-scale war.
During the working visit, the Ukrainian delegation sought to examine the US system from within, identifying what works effectively and where problems have accumulated over decades that Ukraine should seek to avoid.
“One of the key events was a meeting between Ukrainian Veterans Affairs Minister Vitalii Kim and US Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins. This was the first bilateral meeting between the heads of the two countries’ veterans affairs agencies in a considerable period of time,” the ministry said.
The talks covered the US veterans healthcare system, which includes 170 medical centres and more than 1,000 outpatient facilities. US expertise in prosthetics, treatment of polytrauma and psychological rehabilitation is particularly valuable for Ukrainian specialists. The two sides agreed to continue exchanging experience at the level of their teams and specialised professionals.
The Ukrainian delegation also discussed the challenges and practical aspects of the US veterans system with leading American research institutions RAND Corporation and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Discussions with RAND experts focused in particular on developing an economic model for the reintegration of veterans and involving Ukrainian think tanks in joint research projects.
CSIS experts also shared their experience in financing veterans policy and outlined issues that Ukraine could take into account when developing its own institutional solutions.
