Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Will She or Won't She? France's Russian Mistral Contract Delivery


Despite strong language from the French President François Hollande, Russia has not received formal notification from France suspending or cancelling the $1.53 billion deal for two Mistral-class amphibious warship deal, Russian officials said on Tuesday.

“We have not received any official refusals,” Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov, reported Russian wire service ITAR-TASS.
“The contract schedule has not changed.”

Under the original terms, France was to handover the first ship — Vladivostok — at the end of October.

In September Hollande’s office issued a statement saying, absent a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, “the conditions under which France could authorize the delivery of the first helicopter carrier are not in place.”

France’s final decision on the Mistral isn’t clear as of Tuesday.

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