Australia has committed to sending more than $20 million to Ukraine to address energy resources and essential needs.
Penny Wong, Australia's Foreign Minister, announced that the government will allocate AUD 31 million (USD 20.5 million) to tackle energy challenges in Ukraine.
Wong emphasized that Australia's new contribution aims to meet the fundamental requirements for electricity and support the Ukrainian people.
Of the allocated funds, AUD 20 million (USD 13.3 million) will be directed towards providing electricity to Ukrainians, while AUD 10 million (USD 6.6 million) will be channeled to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to procure essential supplies for women, children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities.
Additionally, Canberra will transfer an extra AUD 1 million (USD 663.7 thousand) to the United Nations organization for persons with disabilities to aid in rehabilitating injured Ukrainian forces.
Ukraine had requested Australia to supply 80 thousand tons of coal for this year's heating season, a request that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declined, suggesting that Kyiv could find coal much closer than Australia.
Since March 2022, Canberra's total assistance to Kyiv exceeds nearly $700 million.