Minister for Veterans Affairs Vitaliy Kim believes that after the end of the war, the budget for veteran policy will need to be increased several times over.
Answering a question about whether funding is sufficient, Kim cited figures during a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday, noting that the United States spends $40,000 a year per veteran with 18 million veterans, Canada spends around $27,000, and Australia allocates between $31,000 and $35,000 per veteran. He pointed out that dividing Ukraine's veteran budget by the number of veterans yields UAH 1,400 per year per veteran, which he described as completely insufficient.
At the same time, the minister emphasized that no country in the world has prior experience in successful veteran policy, calling it a bottomless pit for social investment where it will never be enough and improvements can always be made. However, he stated that basic services must be provided to veterans, and expressed frank belief that budgets will need to be multiplied after the war ends, given that weapons and the active war remain the current priority.
Kim expressed confidence that financing for veteran policy will increase in the future.
As reported, the draft state budget for 2027 provides for an increase of UAH 3.2 billion, or 17.8%, in funding for the Ministry for Veterans Affairs compared to 2026, allocating UAH 20.8 billion specifically for the ministry's programs.
