"At the moment, Ukrainian city leaders need humanitarian aid to cope with the influx of refugees, but they also need moral support from their European counterparts," said Kõlvart, who spend two days in the city this week.

"We are sending to the City of Lviv what the city's remaining residents and the 200,000 refugees are most in need of food and hygiene items," he added, after the war is over the two cities will further develop cultural and business relations.

The mayor visited the refugee reception center in Lviv's Shevchenko district, the Lviv hospital and a temporary shelter at the Les Kurbas theatre.

He called the situation a "huge tragedy" for people but said city authorities were doing everything they can: "This is also the way refugees are received in Tallinn."

Kõlvart visited the city at the invitation of Mayor Andrei Sadovy.

On March 15, 33 pallets of aid were sent to Kyiv and Odesa and will be delivered by a Ukrainian driver who has promised to stay and defend his country afterward.

The shipment contained more than 50,000 items of food supplies, powdered milk, hygiene products, nappies and drinking water.

Kõlvart is the first Estonian official to visit Ukraine since Russia attacked the country on February 24. Minister of Foreign Affairs Eva-Maria Liimets (Center) was in Kyiv the day the war started and returned soon after.

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