The VIII International Veterans Forum "Ukraine. Veterans. Security“

On Friday, August 22, on the eve of the Independence Day of Ukraine, the VIII International Veterans Forum ”Ukraine. Veterans. Security", organized by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine with the support of the veteran community took place in Kyiv.

The Forum brought together hundreds of veterans, their families and families of fallen defenders, volunteers, chaplains, opinion leaders, government and civil society representatives, diplomats, international partners and the cultural community.

During the Forum, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the participants with a speech in which he emphasized that independent Ukraine exists thanks to those who defend it.

"Continuing this tradition of veterans' forums on the eve of Ukraine's Independence Day, I want to start this year's Forum with the most important thing - with gratitude and applause to each and every one of you, to each and every one of you who defends our country and our independence. We remember that Ukraine is independent thanks to those who care about what happens to Ukraine. We thank all of you! Our task now is to make sure that our children, our grandchildren, and future generations of Ukrainians do not have to go through war. The key to this is security guarantees, which we are currently working on together with our partners," he emphasized.

The participants of the Forum observed a minute of silence in memory of the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

The special guest of the event was NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who had arrived in Kyiv with his team. His presence was a sign of great respect and support for Ukrainian veterans.

“Mark is here today, and he is our great friend, a great friend of Ukraine, and together with him, together with other European leaders, together with the United States of America, together with a coalition of our partners - more than 30 countries - we are preparing important, such important security guarantees for Ukraine,” President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Svyrydenko, and the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, also delivered welcoming speeches.

In her address, Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, Natalia Kalmykova, thanked all Ukrainian defenders who are now defending the country with arms. She also expressed gratitude to international partners for supporting Ukraine in the fight against russian aggression and presented the results and plans to implement the Presidential Decree within the framework of the “Heroes Policy” doctrine aimed at meeting the needs of combatants and war veterans.

"In fact, much of what has been done is thanks to the initiatives of the veterans who work in the Ministry. Thanks to the initiatives you give us as well as the perseverance and help of all stakeholders. It is important that a veteran does not return to the Ministry - a veteran returns to the community, so we are working with communities on an ongoing basis. The tools and resources provided by the state should be used directly by the communities. Without you, we will not be successful in making sure that veterans truly achieve well-being. Treat each and every one of them as your family member and try to understand them. Each of us, civilians who did not go through the war, feels a special responsibility - the responsibility to do everything possible to return to people at least a part of what was lost while defending our homeland," emphasized Natalia Kalmykova, Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine.

The Forum included three panel discussions.

Read more on the website of the Ministry of Veterans' Affairs.