The summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe was Ukraine-focused in every respect, and one of its key outcomes was the first dedicated hearing on policies to support Ukrainian veterans.
Maria Mezentseva, head of the Ukrainian delegation to PACE, said this in a comment to a Ukrinform correspondent, summarizing the session that concluded on Friday in Strasbourg.
“The PACE session was unequivocally focused on Ukraine in every respect. First and foremost, we held our first-ever hearing on veterans’ policy. As early as the next fall session, we will vote on two resolutions specifically concerning Ukrainian veterans. It is very important to us that both resolutions receive support,” Mezentseva said.
According to her, the focus is on how Council of Europe member states can assist Ukrainian veterans with recovery, psychological support, rehabilitation, and prosthetics.
“Such programs already exist, but there needs to be more cooperation. And the numbers speak for themselves. Currently, there are officially more than two million registered veterans in Ukraine, 10% of whom have disabilities. And it is very important that these heroic people themselves testified at our hearings—people who were wounded, who, unfortunately, have gone through their own pain and experiences, and who are now helping others or continuing to fight,” the delegation chair noted.
