The White House brushed aside questions this week about whether the involvement of Vice President Joe Biden's son in a Ukrainian natural gas company raised ethical issues at a time when the Obama administration is promoting energy diversity in the country, which is also currently mired in a gas-price spat with Moscow.

R. Hunter Biden, an attorney and chairman of the board of the World Food Program USA, was named this week to the board of directors of Burisma Holdings, a private company that has drilled for natural gas in Ukraine since 2002.

"I believe that my assistance in consulting the company on matters of transparency, corporate governance and responsibility, international expansion and other priorities will contribute to the economy and benefit the people of Ukraine," Biden said, according to a statement released by the company.

The announcement comes as Ukraine and the U.S. are looking to decrease Ukraine's reliance on Russian energy amid threats from Moscow to cut Ukraine off if it doesn't pay massive debts. Western countries believe Russia would have less leverage over Ukraine if Europe were less dependent on Russian gas.

Amid the push to make Ukraine less dependent on Moscow, Kyiv is also mired in a conflict with pro-Russian rebels in its eastern region who voted Sunday for wider autonomy. The U.S. has placed sanctions on Russia for its alleged support of the rebels, but the pressure has done little to stop activists in the region from seeking more independence.

In April, Vice President Biden traveled to Kyiv to discuss how the U.S. could help provide technical expertise for expanding domestic production of natural gas.

Asked by a reporter Tuesday whether Hunter Biden's appointment to the company presented a conflict of interest, White House spokesman Jay Carney said it did not.

"Hunter Biden and other members of the Biden family are obviously private citizens, and where they work does not reflect an endorsement by the administration or by the vice president or president," Carney said.

Kendra Barkoff, a spokeswoman for Vice President Biden, said he "does not endorse any particular company and has no involvement with this company."