Russia will only get French Mistral ships if it can reach an agreement with Kyiv
France has suspended delivery of the first Mistral-class helicopter carrier to Russia, a move French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian personally conveyed to his Polish counterpart during a recent trip to boost relations with Warsaw, my Defense News colleague Pierre Tran reports.
Here are some highlights of Pierre’s article:
French President François Hollande suspended the ship’s delivery due to the deadly conflict in east Ukraine, the president’s office said on Nov. 25. Hollande set two conditions for delivery: the observation of a ceasefire in Ukraine and a political agreement between Moscow and Kyiv.
Russia will not, for now, file a claim against France on the suspension and still expects the deal to go ahead, RIA news agency quoted Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov as saying.
Pierre Tran’s full article can be seen here: