France will wait until next month to decide whether to deliver the first of two Mistral helicopter carriers to Russia, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday.
French President Francois Hollande had for months resisted pressure from Washington and other allies to scrap the 1.2 billion euro ($1.58 billion) contract before choosing last month to push back the original end-October delivery date.
Holland said then that he would only hand over the first carrier – the Vladivostok – if there was a lasting cease-fire and a political settlement in Ukraine.
“The president … said that if the political conditions did not …read more
Source: Voice of America
