‘We are not a ministry of payments.’ Ukraine should not pay everything to people to prevent them from developing dependency – Ministry of Social Policy

The Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine does not aim to provide payments to the entire population of the country to prevent people from becoming dependent on them.

This was stated by the head of the department, Oksana Zholnovych.

“We are not a ‘ministry of payments’; we are a ministry that shapes human capability and resilience for each individual. The state’s task is to create conditions so that every person feels confident, independent, and has opportunities for development. No state aims to ensure that 100% of the population receives support from the government. This leads to dependency,” Zholnovych explained.

According to her, Ukraine wants to “ensure a sense of reliable support” that can be relied on in specific situations, rather than just formally distributing payments.

Earlier, Zholnovych mentioned that Ukraine plans to “rethink the philosophy” of social payments because there is no longer enough money to fund them.

She also announced the abolition of the subsistence minimum in Ukraine, which is planned to be replaced with a special social payment. The amount of this new social assistance will be determined individually, with the payment size influenced by the family composition and household size.