Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been appointed an adviser to the Ukrainian government on economic recovery, according to documents published Friday, February 27, on the UK government’s website.
Sunak has taken on, without pay, an advisory role on the International Advisory Council for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery under President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The council will field a group of experts to advise Zelensky and his economic adviser - former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Rishi Sunak said he was “honored” to have supported Ukraine while serving as prime minister and praised Zelensky for the Ukrainian people’s display of “such courage, such strength, such ingenuity in their resistance in this war.”
“The West needs a strong Ukraine, and a strong Ukraine needs a strong economy,” he added. “I am confident that Ukraine - with its human capital, natural resources and culture of innovation — can become one of the most dynamic economies in Europe.”
Sunak took part in the council’s first meeting on February 26 alongside other international figures, including World Bank President Ajay Banga and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development President Odile Renaud-Basso. Representatives from Siemens, BlackRock, Citigroup and ArcelorMittal also participated.
In a post on X, Volodymyr Zelensky said the group discussed “strengthening Ukraine’s energy resilience” ahead of next winter, as well as “broader opportunities for investment,” including in the country’s defense industry. Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have become a serious problem in recent months - Kyiv accuses Moscow of trying to “weaponize cold” in a country where temperatures regularly drop well below zero, the dpa news agency notes.
“Thank you to the representatives for supporting Ukraine throughout all these years of full-scale Russian aggression. Even during the war, after such a winter, our country lives,” Zelensky said. “We are open to partnerships, joint projects and investments that will support our people and our security.”
Zelensky also thanked Sunak for his support, noting that with such friends Ukraine is confident of victory.
Advising Ukraine is the latest in a string of Sunak’s roles since leaving the premiership. While remaining the Member of Parliament for Richmond and Northallerton in northern England, he advises Goldman Sachs, Microsoft and artificial intelligence company Anthropic.
He is also a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution in California, holds unpaid roles with the Bloomberg New Economy Forum and the Blavatnik School of Government, writes a column for The Sunday Times, and runs a math education charity with his wife, Akshata Murty. Sunak donates most of the income from his outside activities to charity.
Rishi Sunak served as UK prime minister from October 2022 to July 2024. He became the youngest prime minister in modern British history - he was 42 at the time of his appointment.
