Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday replaced the head of the security service, continuing a top-level reshuffle ahead of a trip to Paris where he hoped to finalize agreements with allies on how to ensure that Russia does not repeat its invasion if a peace agreement is signed.
Zelenskiy is trying to revamp his administration as the grinding war of attrition with Russia marks its fourth anniversary next month. He is keen to keep up the momentum of US-led peace talks, as well as sharpen Ukraine’s focus on defense if those efforts collapse.
The Paris talks are expected to include the leaders of about 30 nations, dubbed the “coalition of the willing,” which are ready to provide security guarantees to keep Ukraine safe.
Photo: AFP / Ukrainian Presidential Press Service
Key issues include whether nations are prepared to deploy troops inside or close to Ukraine, and what the remit of any force overseeing a ceasefire might be.
Russia has said it would not accept troops from NATO countries on Ukrainian soil.
Zelenskiy also announced the appointment of former Canadian deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland as Ukraine’s economic development adviser, describing her as an expert on the issues with “significant experience in attracting investment and carrying out economic transformations.”
Amid Ukraine’s biggest top-level reshuffle in about six months, Lieutenant General Vasyl Maliuk, the head of the Security Service, or SBU, announced his resignation on the agency’s Web site.
Zelenskiy published a decree on the presidential Web site appointing Ievhen Khmara, former head of the “A” Special Operations Center of the SBU, as the agency’s acting head.
Under Maliuk, the SBU produced some stunning successes against Russia, including Operation Spiderweb, which Ukraine said damaged or destroyed 41 Russian military aircraft in coordinated strikes on four air bases.
Freeland, who is of Ukrainian heritage and is a strong critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is a former journalist and Canadian lawmaker.
Besides being a former deputy prime minister, she also served as Canadian minister of international trade, minister of foreign affairs and minister of finance, and helped negotiate trade agreements with both Europe and the US.
The Harvard University graduate has served as Canada’s special representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine — a position outside the Cabinet — in addition to her responsibilities as a lawmaker.
Freeland and US President Donald Trump have had a sometimes-fraught relationship that could work against Ukraine.
In Trump’s first term, Freeland played a key role in negotiating the US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement, and occasionally frustrated Trump aides with her tactics.
During Trump’s first meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office, the president recalled his own antipathy for Freeland.
“She was terrible, actually — she was a terrible person,” Trump said.
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