First minister-level meeting in a long time
Vitaliy Kim, Ukraine's Minister for Veterans' Affairs, and his American counterpart, US Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, held the first meeting between the heads of the two departments in a long time. Following the talks, the two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of veterans' policy, primarily in the areas of rehabilitation, prosthetics, and the treatment of complex combat injuries. Vitaliy Kim himself reported this on his Telegram channel, while the RBC-Ukraine editorial team provided details of the meeting.
The American system: 170 centers and nine million veterans
A separate part of the negotiations was devoted to US veterans' healthcare — the country's largest integrated healthcare system. According to figures cited at the meeting, it brings together 170 medical centers and more than a thousand outpatient facilities, serving over nine million veterans. This system concentrates specialized expertise in prosthetics, amputation care, polytrauma, traumatic brain injuries, and complex rehabilitation. Under certain conditions, veterans can also receive care at civilian medical institutions, which expands access to services.
“We need solutions faster than over decades”
Vitaliy Kim emphasized that the American veterans' support system has significant experience accumulated over several decades. At the same time, he noted that this experience is particularly relevant for Ukraine: the country is building its own system of support for veterans in the conditions of a full-scale war and must find solutions much faster than it took other countries decades. According to the minister, the point is not to copy foreign models but to adopt proven practices that shorten the path from injury to recovery.
What Ukraine is ready to offer in return
At the same time, Kim stressed that Ukraine has already developed its own experience that could be useful to partners. In particular, this refers to practical solutions worked out in the conditions of active combat operations: from organizing emergency medical care at the front to mechanisms for long-term support. The meeting also paid particular attention to psychological rehabilitation, the treatment of post-traumatic conditions, and comprehensive support for veterans. Kim pointed out that the consequences of the full-scale war and prolonged stress affect not only military personnel and veterans but also their family members and the civilian population.
Next step: work at the level of specialized teams
Following the meeting, the two sides agreed to continue exchanging experience between the departments. The next stage should be work at the level of specialized teams and experts who will study the practices of both countries in detail and identify specific areas of further cooperation. Thus, the format of interaction moves from the political level to the applied level, which, as both sides intend, should accelerate the implementation of concrete solutions in the Ukrainian veterans' support system.
Context: synchronizing departments around veterans' policy
The meeting between Kim and Collins takes place against the backdrop of a major reform of Ukrainian veterans' policy. Ukraine plans to synchronize the work of all state departments around tasks related to veterans. Each executive body will have an official designated who is personally responsible for implementing state veterans' policy in their area. This is intended to eliminate fragmented approaches and ensure a single standard of support at all levels — from medical rehabilitation to employment and social support.
