Zelenskyy appoints 'highly skilled' Canadian ex-deputy PM as economic adviser

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday announced the appointment of Canada’s former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland as his adviser on economic development, citing her experience in attracting investment.

Taking to X, Zelenskyy wrote, “Today, I appointed Chrystia Freeland @cafreeland as an Advisor on Economic Development. Chrystia is highly skilled in these matters and has extensive experience in attracting investment and implementing economic transformations.”

Today, I appointed Chrystia Freeland @cafreeland as an Advisor on Economic Development. Chrystia is highly skilled in these matters and has extensive experience in attracting investment and implementing economic transformations. Right now, Ukraine needs to strengthen its internal… pic.twitter.com/2WOl27MyVA

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 5, 2026

“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 defence if, because of delays by our partners, it takes longer to bring this war to an end,” he added.

Freeland, who has Ukrainian ancestry, served as Canada’s deputy prime minister from 2019 to 2024.

She is currently a member of Canada’s parliament and also serves as Ottawa’s special envoy to Ukraine.

With inputs from agencies