Chrystia Freeland named economic development adviser by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

By Canadian Press on January 5, 2026.

OTTAWA — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed former federal minister Chrystia Freeland as an adviser on economic development.

Freeland has long expressed her support for Ukraine amid its war with Russia.

She has said the country could become an economic juggernaut by taking up the opportunities it missed after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In a post on social media Monday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs to strengthen what he called its “internal resilience.”

“Chrystia is highly skilled in these matters and has extensive experience in attracting investment and implementing economic transformations,” he said.

“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.”

The Canadian Press has reached out to Freeland’s office for comment but has not yet received a response.

Freeland, who has Ukrainian ancestry, was a cabinet minister and deputy prime minister in Justin Trudeau’s government.

She was named by Prime Minister Mark Carney as Canada’s special representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

She stepped away from cabinet in September, but still represents the federal riding of University—Rosedale in Toronto.

Her appointment comes as Carney travels to Paris to meet with other allies of Ukraine in a bid to end Russia’s nearly four-year war on the country.

This latest post comes after Freeland was named the incoming CEO of the Rhodes Trust, an Oxford, England-based educational charity.

The charity is famous for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship that offers students from around the world a chance to study at the University of Oxford.

This job will see Freeland relocate to Oxford, with a start date of July 1.

Freeland has not formally announced any plan to resign as a member of Parliament, but previously said she will not run in the next election.

She has been seldom seen in the House of Commons since leaving cabinet, but has continued to take part in votes remotely.

Freeland’s social media shows she spent much of the fall and early winter travelling between Toronto, Ukraine and other European nations as part of her duties as Canada’s representative on the reconstruction of Ukraine.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2026.

— With files from Kyle Duggan.

The Canadian Press