European humanitarian aid to Ukraine becoming more targeted, its volume decreasing - parliamentarian

KYIV. May 19 (Interfax-Ukraine) - The volumes of humanitarian aid being shipped to Ukraine through its western borders decreased to 122,000 tonnes in April from 183,000 tonnes in March, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, deputy head of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada's Finance, Tax, and Customs Policy Committee, said on social media on Thursday.

"Concerning humanitarian aid. According to the customs, the volume of this aid has been decreasing from month to month, from 183,000 tonnes in March to 122,000 tonnes in April, to 61,000 tonnes in May (as of May 17)," Zheleznyak said.

He explained this trend by lines at the customs, customs exemptions on certain goods (which are now being brought into Ukraine not as humanitarian aid), and the fact that humanitarian aid is becoming more targeted.

"Humanitarian aid will become more targeted, and therefore, it won't weigh as much (not as much canned food, household chemicals, etc. are being brought in as before)," Zheleznyak said.