On July 27, the UWC leadership, led by First Vice President Stefan Romaniw, met with leadership from the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs of Ukraine, led by Minister Yulia Laputina. The meeting was coordinated by and participated in by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, specifically Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Vasyl Bodnar.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the goals, priorities, and tasks facing the Ministry of Veterans in offering social support to war veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian War and their families, developing the veterans’ movement, and educating and strengthening the Ukrainian culture of respect for the heroism of our defenders. In particular, the Minister spoke about the strategic directions of the Ministry’s activities and outlined the work plans of her team for the near future.
Another topic of discussion was the experience of the Ukrainian diaspora in assisting and rehabilitating Ukrainian veterans, as well as the practices used to support veterans around the world. UWC First Vice President Stefan Romaniw and representatives of UWC leadership and organizations from Europe and North America briefed the Ministry’s team on numerous Ukrainian diaspora projects to support veterans. Stefan Romaniw assured the leaders of UWC’s willingness to share its experience gained over years of ongoing work in this area.
As a result of the meeting, the parties agreed to form a working group to work out further steps and establish ongoing cooperation between the UWC and the Ministry of Veterans Affairs.
