Ukraine’s foreign minister held separate Paris discussions about winter defense and energy needs, calling for air-defense coordination with France and discussing Black Sea navigation with Washington as an issue tied to global food security.
Sybiha said on X that he updated French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on battlefield conditions, diplomatic efforts and wider international developments. He said they also discussed energy resilience, defense assistance and sanctions on Russia. Sybiha thanked France for helping mobilize winter support for Ukraine’s energy security and said Kyiv wanted continued coordination to strengthen its air defenses.
Sybiha said he appreciated Barrot’s welcome and France’s role in making Ukraine a focus of the Paris agenda, including a session devoted to the country. “France’s leadership at this crucial moment truly matters,” he said.
Sybiha said his separate meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ranged from Washington’s peace efforts to battlefield conditions and broader international developments. He said they also addressed Ukraine’s defense capacity, air protection and readiness ahead of winter. Sybiha called for freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, linking it to protection of global food supplies. “We must seize every opportunity for diplomacy and de-escalation,” he said.
Sybiha said Kyiv was ready to pursue security and economic projects with Washington, including joint drone production, and repeated his invitation for Rubio to visit Ukraine. He also expressed gratitude for U.S. engagement in the context of a six-day ceasefire observed until Nov. 1 in Oleshky, a city in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s Kherson region.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said Sybiha’s Paris program included a G7 session focused on support for Ukraine and bilateral talks. The ministry said he was expected to coordinate G7 positions on peace efforts and brief allies on the front, damage from Russian strikes, and Kyiv’s defense and winter needs. It listed de-escalation, protection of Ukrainian airspace, pressure on Russia, food security and Black Sea navigation among the session’s priorities.
