Freeland, 57, was the deputy prime minister of Canada under former leader Justin Trudeau. Recently, she stepped down from her role as transport and internal trade minister in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Cabinet in September to take on the position of Canada’s special envoy for Ukraine’s reconstruction. Freeland has Ukrainian heritage through her mother, Halyna Chomiak, and is a well-known supporter of Ukraine.
Freeland hasn’t made any public comments regarding the announcement yet. When reached out to, POLITICO received an automated reply stating she would return to work later today.
Her appointment marks another move in Zelenskyy’s effort to revamp his office. The president recently named former military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov as his new chief of staff, while Sergiy Kyslytsya, a former Ukrainian deputy foreign minister and long-time ambassador to the U. N., has been appointed as deputy head of the president’s office.
Zelenskyy explained that this overhaul was necessary to bolster the country’s negotiating power and resilience for what lies ahead.
“Our country has two paths. The first path is peaceful, diplomatic, and it is a priority for us today. We want to end the war. At some point, if Russia blocks it and the partners do not force Russia to stop the war, there will be another path – to defend ourselves. And at this point, fresh forces will be needed. I will go through a parallel reboot of all structures. Just in case,” Zelenskyy told reporters during a press briefing on Saturday.
