French President Francois Hollande informed Russia Tuesday that it won’t be receiving two Mistral helicopter carriers that were supposed to be delivered Nov. 14.
Mr. Hollande said in a statement the $1.6 billion deal between France and Russia won’t come to a close “until further notice” due to the ongoing hostilities between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatist rebels.
“We’ll wait patiently. … So far we are not filing a claim anywhere,” said Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov, Agence France-Presse reported Tuesday.
Earlier this month, a high-ranking official told RIA Novosti there would be “serious claims” made if France did not deliver the military assets before the end of the month, a European news organization reported.
One of the ships, The Vladivostok, can carry 700 troops, 16 helicopter gunships, and up to 50 armored vehicles, according to The Associated Press.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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