Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk held a meeting with the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security, Irene Fellin.
The main topic of the discussion was the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 “Women, Peace and Security” in the context of the full-scale war. The resolution focuses on expanding women’s participation in the defence and security sector. Ukraine joined the initiative in 2016, and in February 2026, the Government updated the National Action Plan for its implementation.
“What you are doing is unique. No country has ever upgraded its national action plans during an active conflict. Unfortunately, you have much to teach us, as you have practical experience. We are learning from you new standards for women’s participation in national defence — both on the front line and in civilian life,” the NATO representative noted.
Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratiuk said that the changes of recent years are tangible. More than 75,000 women are serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including 20,000 in combat roles and over 5,000 on the front line. However, despite these numbers, women still have limited access to decision-making in the security sector: they are not represented in unit command, the General Staff, or in peace negotiations.
In addition, Olena Kondratiuk emphasized the importance of cooperation in the field of veterans’ policy.
“Ukraine currently has 1.7 million veterans. This number is projected to reach 5 million. A significant share are women, many of them very young. We need not only rehabilitation programmes, but also reintegration programmes for both male and female veterans. International assistance is essential to complement our domestic efforts in this area,” Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratiuk stated.
Irene Fellin noted that NATO is carefully studying Ukraine’s unique experience in order to integrate it into the Alliance’s emerging policies on veterans’ affairs, women’s participation in the security sector, and women’s access to political-level decision-making.