By John Irish
PARIS, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Ukraine's foreign minister said he had urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday to accelerate deliveries of interceptors as Russia ramps up attacks on energy infrastructure to break Ukrainian morale during the winter months.
Speaking after talks with Rubio on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Paris, Andrii Sybiha told Reuters he had pressed Washington to maintain pressure on Moscow even as diplomatic efforts to end the war took place in Abu Dhabi.
"We should work on the peace track, but in parallel we should continue to pressure Russia," he said in an interview.
Sybiha said he had requested additional support for Ukraine's battered energy grid and more air-defence interceptors, while confirming that US intelligence sharing and military assistance through the Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) programme remained in place.
"I raised the issue of how we could speed up some supply, how we could find a proper way to maybe front-load something, and how we could try to find additional quantities," he said.
NOT OPTIMISTIC ON BLACK SEA CEASEFIRE
His remarks come as Kyiv seeks assurances of continued Western military backing while supporting diplomatic efforts to explore limited confidence-building measures with Moscow.
Commenting on the US-mediated talks now underway between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, Sybiha said: "Ukraine has serious intentions... We try to use any opportunity to speed up peace efforts and to make peace closer."
He said Ukraine remained prepared to discuss a range of de-escalatory measures, including ceasefires covering the Black Sea and energy infrastructure.
Sybiha said proposals for a Black Sea ceasefire had been conveyed to Russia through intermediaries including Turkey, Egypt and India, but added he was "not so optimistic" about progress and was still awaiting a response from Moscow.
SYBIHA SAYS PUTIN WANTS TO BREAK UKRAINIAN SPIRIT
Sybiha reiterated Kyiv's accusations that Russia is deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure ahead of winter.
"(Russian President Vladimir Putin) tries to break our spirit during the winter," he said.
Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians in the war, now well into its fifth year.
Sybiha was attending a meeting in Paris of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven, which comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, as well as the European Union.
He said the cost of the war would rise significantly in 2027 and expressed hope that Kyiv could secure longer-term financial commitments from its partners by the end of the year.
"We need macrostability," he said. "For domestic purposes it keeps the spirit of our people strong when they understand that at least for one to two years we have long-term commitments."
Sybiha said his family in Kyiv — including three children —, like most Ukrainians, often had only a few hours of electricity a day.
"It means no heating, no water, no sanitation, so it's a big challenge for us," he added.
(Reporting by John Irish;Editing by Gareth Jones)
