US unveils $1.5 billion in new energy, humanitarian aid for Ukraine

US Vice President Kamala Harris announced on June 15 a new $1.5 billion aid package for Ukraine, focused primarily on the war-torn country's energy sector and humanitarian assistance.

According to POLITICO, Harris unveiled the package while attending a two-day Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland.

She said the package includes $500 million in new funding for energy assistance and the redirecting of another previously announced $324 million toward emergency energy funding.

"This funding will repair energy infrastructure damaged in the war, expand power generation, encourage private sector investment, and protect energy infrastructure," the White House said in a statement Saturday. "These efforts will help Ukraine respond to Russia’s latest attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure by supporting repair and recovery, improving Ukraine’s resilience to energy supply disruptions, and laying the groundwork to repair and expand Ukraine’s energy system."

Harris also announced that working with the U.S. Congress, the State Department plans to provide an additional $300 million in Ukrainian civilian security assistance to support life-saving equipment for Ukrainian border guards and law enforcement, according to the statement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been urging allies to provide increased assistance as Moscow has stepped up attacks recently in the Kharkiv area. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.