Zelenskyy Overhauls Security Leadership, Appoints Chrystia Freeland as Economic Adviser Ahead of Paris Talks

Jan 5•4 min read

Medical workers remove the debris in a damaged private clinic after, according to Ukrainian officials, a Russian drone hit a hospital room killing a patient, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Jan 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reshuffled his top team, accepting the SBU chief's resignation and naming Ievhen Khmara as acting head while appointing former Canadian deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland as an economic development adviser. The changes come ahead of a Paris summit of roughly 30 countries to discuss security guarantees that would prevent a repeat of Russia’s 2022 invasion. Fighting continues along a roughly 1,000-kilometer front, with recent drone and missile strikes causing civilian casualties and infrastructure damage. Zelenskyy emphasized faster development of new weapons, tactics and technologies to counter Russia’s advantages.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday carried out a high-level reshuffle of his administration, replacing the head of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and naming former Canadian deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland as an economic development adviser. The moves come as he prepares to travel to Paris for a summit intended to build security guarantees to prevent a repeat of Russia’s 2022 invasion if a peace deal is reached.

Leadership Changes in Kyiv

Lt. Gen. Vasyl Maliuk announced his resignation as head of the SBU on the agency’s website. President Zelenskyy issued a decree appointing Ievhen Khmara, the former head of the SBU’s "A" Special Operations Center, as acting SBU chief. Last Friday, Zelenskyy also named Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, as his new chief of staff.

Under Maliuk, the SBU claimed several significant operational successes, including "Operation Spiderweb," which Ukraine said involved coordinated strikes on four Russian air bases that damaged or destroyed 41 Russian military aircraft.

Paris Summit and Security Guarantees

Zelenskyy is seeking to sustain momentum in U.S.-led peace talks while simultaneously strengthening Ukraine’s defenses should diplomacy falter. The Paris summit is expected to gather roughly 30 leaders from a so-called "coalition of the willing" to discuss what security guarantees would keep Ukraine safe in the future.

A damaged private clinic is seen after, according to Ukrainian officials, a Russian air attack when a drone hit a hospital room killing a patient, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Jan 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Key questions for the meeting include whether participating countries would be prepared to station forces inside or near Ukraine and what mandate any force tasked with overseeing a cease-fire would have. Moscow has already said it will not accept NATO troops on Ukrainian soil.

Economic Adviser: Chrystia Freeland

Zelenskyy appointed Chrystia Freeland as his economic development adviser, praising her experience in attracting investment and guiding economic transformations. Freeland, of Ukrainian heritage, is a former journalist and long-serving Canadian politician who served as deputy prime minister and held portfolios for trade, foreign affairs and finance. She has also acted as Canada’s special representative for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

Her appointment has prompted questions in Canada about whether she can remain a member of Parliament while advising a foreign government; one opposition lawmaker has argued the roles may be incompatible. Freeland is also a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has had a sometimes tense relationship with former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Fighting Continues Along Extended Front Lines

Violence along roughly a 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front in southern and eastern Ukraine continues. Zelenskyy said he met with Budanov to explore ways to reduce Russia’s advantage in manpower and to accelerate development of new weapons, tactics and technologies.

“Russia has one significant advantage in this war, namely the ability to put pressure on Ukraine with the scale of strikes, the scale of assaults,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “We have and must respond with more active use of technology, faster development of new types of weapons, new tactics.”

An overnight Russian drone strike hit a private clinic in Kyiv’s Obolon district, killing a 30-year-old patient and wounding three others, the capital’s prosecutor’s office said. Energy infrastructure across Ukraine was damaged by drone attacks, causing further power disruptions during the winter. The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia launched nine ballistic missiles and 165 long-range drones overnight.

Russian regional authorities said a Ukrainian drone caused a fire at an industrial facility in Yelets, Lipetsk region, with no casualties reported. Russian airports in Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl briefly suspended flights because of Ukrainian drone activity. The Russian Defense Ministry later reported shooting down another 50 Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod, Kursk and Lipetsk regions.

As negotiations progress — with Zelenskyy saying a U.S.-brokered peace plan was "90% ready" in his New Year’s address — the remaining issues, likely including the fate of disputed territories, will be critical to any final settlement.

Follow AP’s ongoing coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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