Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today that he had appointed former Canadian Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland as the new adviser on economic development for Ukraine.
Freeland, who has Ukrainian ancestry, was Canada’s deputy prime minister between 2019 and 2024. She has long been one of Canada’s most vocal opponents of Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.
“Chrystia is highly skilled in these matters and has extensive experience in attracting investment and implementing economic transformations,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X. Freeland will be working on a freelance basis.
“Right now, Ukraine needs to strengthen its internal resilience — both for the sake of Ukraine’s recovery if diplomacy delivers results as swiftly as possible, and to reinforce our defense if, because of delays by our partners, it takes longer to bring this war to an end,” Zelenskyy added.