Zelensky Taps High-Profile Canadian Politician as Economic Adviser

Ukraine’s president appointed Chrystia Freeland, a former deputy prime minister of Canada, to a role in which she would advise on postwar reconstruction, if peace talks are successful.Chrystia Freeland during an interview last year in Toronto.Credit...Brett Gundlock for The New York TimesJan. 5, 2026Updated 4:05 p.m. ETPresident Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has appointed Chrystia Freeland, a former Canadian deputy prime minister, as an adviser on economic development, giving a role in his government to a prominent Western advocate for Ukraine’s cause.In a statement issued Monday, Mr. Zelensky cited Ms. Freeland’s expertise in attracting foreign investment and on matters of economic reform, and said she would advise on postwar reconstruction, if peace talks are successful.Mr. Zelensky praised Ms. Freeland’s “professional command” of economic policy but offered few details on her role in Ukraine.The appointment, the first during the war of such a high-profile Western politician to a government position, comes as the Trump administration has proposed a sweeping U.S. role in Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction. A draft settlement agreement described by Mr. Zelensky last month foresees the creation of U.S.-controlled investment funds worth hundreds of billions of dollars.These proposed funds would draw on frozen Russian central bank assets, most of which are held now in Belgium, and on European Union reconstruction financing, among other sources. The proposal calls for allocating at least $200 billion in grants and equity investments from these funds.The draft peace agreement calls on Ukraine to institute what are called best international practices for attracting foreign investment to help with its reconstruction. Mr. Zelensky did not indicate whether Ms. Freeland’s appointment was linked to this requirement.It was also unclear if Ms. Freeland would have a role in talks with the Trump administration on reconstruction financing.But Ms. Freeland, who served as a deputy to prime minister Justin Trudeau and in other ministerial positions in his government as well as the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney, had negotiated with the United States during the first Trump term on an overhaul of the North American Free Trade Agreement. She negotiated then with Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, who is now also involved with Ukraine settlement talks.Ms. Freeland has been a prominent advocate for Ukraine and for Western assistance to the country during Ukraine’s war with Russia, arguing that aid for the country is needed to hold back a risk of Russian expansion farther west into Europe. Ms. Freeland, who is married to Graham Bowley, an investigative reporter on the Culture desk of The New York Times, is partly of Ukrainian descent and has longstanding ties to the country, where she worked as a reporter in the early post-Soviet period.Ms. Freeland has held a position as Canada’s special representative for reconstruction in Ukraine. Mr. Zelensky had earlier awarded Ms. Freeland a government honor, the Order of Princess Olga, for her support for Ukraine.Andrew E. Kramer is the Kyiv bureau chief for The Times, who has been covering the war in Ukraine since 2014.SKIP Site IndexNewsHome PageU.S.WorldPoliticsNew YorkEducationSportsBusinessTechScienceWeatherThe Great ReadObituariesHeadwayVisual InvestigationsThe MagazineArtsBook ReviewBest Sellers Book ListDanceMoviesMusicPop CultureTelevisionTheaterVisual ArtsLifestyleHealthWellFoodRestaurant ReviewsLoveTravelStyleFashionReal EstateT MagazineOpinionToday's OpinionColumnistsEditorialsGuest EssaysOp-DocsLettersSunday OpinionOpinion VideoOpinion AudioMoreAudioGamesCookingWirecutterThe AthleticJobsVideoGraphicsTrendingLive EventsCorrectionsReader CenterTimesMachineThe Learning NetworkSchool of The NYTinEducationAccountSubscribeManage My AccountHome DeliveryGift SubscriptionsGroup SubscriptionsGift ArticlesEmail NewslettersNYT LicensingReplica EditionTimes Store