Chrystia Freeland takes on new role amid government shakeup in Kyiv as Ukrainian president replaces key figures
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has named Canada’s former finance minister Chrystia Freeland as an adviser on economic development, a move he says will help strengthen the “internal resilience” of the war-torn nation.
“Chrystia is highly skilled in these matters and has extensive experience in attracting investment and implementing economic transformations,” he wrote on social media. “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 move comes amid a major government shake-up in Kyiv, as Zelenskyy replaces several key figures. The Ukrainian president appointed the popular head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, as his new chief of staff last week, after Andriy Yermak, formerly his closest confidant, was forced to resign in late November. On Monday, Vasyl Maliuk, the powerful head of the SBU security service, resigned under pressure from Zelenskyy, meaning a change of leadership in all three of Ukraine’s intelligence services.
