Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed former Canadian deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland as an adviser on economic development, citing her experience in investment and reconstruction efforts.
In a post on social media Monday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine must bolster its internal resilience to prepare for postwar recovery if diplomatic efforts succeed quickly — or to strengthen its defenses should the conflict with Russia drag on longer than expected.
Freeland, who has Ukrainian heritage, served as Canada’s deputy prime minister from 2019 to 2024 and has been one of the country’s most outspoken critics of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In September, Prime Minister Mark Carney named her Canada’s special representative for Ukraine’s reconstruction, a role she accepted as she stepped down from cabinet and announced she would not seek re-election in the next federal vote.
Several months later, Freeland was also appointed incoming CEO of the Rhodes Trust, an Oxford-based educational charity, a position she is set to assume on July 1. Her office has confirmed she will relocate to the United Kingdom for the role. Despite leaving cabinet, Freeland continues to sit as the Member of Parliament for Toronto’s University—Rosedale riding and has not formally announced plans to resign her seat.
Her new advisory role drew criticism from Conservative MP Roman Baber, who accused Freeland of a conflict of interest for accepting the position while remaining an MP. Baber said she should have resigned her seat before taking on the role.
Freeland’s appointment comes shortly after Carney announced a $2.5 billion package of loans and debt relief for Ukraine, pushing Canada’s total military, humanitarian and economic support since Russia’s 2022 invasion to $22 billion.
Zelenskyy said last week that a potential peace agreement was “90 per cent ready” following weeks of U.S.-led diplomacy, including talks with U.S. President Donald Trump. Ukrainian and American officials have also been working on frameworks related to reconstruction and long-term investment.
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Taras Kachka, said international partners have reached consensus on an economic support package worth roughly US$800 billion over the next decade, based on estimates from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union. The funding would cover war damage compensation, rebuilding efforts, economic stability and growth.
Freeland has previously been targeted by Russian sanctions imposed in 2014 following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and later became a strong advocate for freezing Russian assets after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. She has also faced criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump over her role in negotiating the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement, which replaced NAFTA during his first term.
