Russia giving France until February to deliver Mistral carrier

© Sputnik/ Alexey Danichev

The Russian Defense Ministry will not take any action until February over France's failure to deliver the first Mistral-class helicopter carrier, a high-ranking Russian military source told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

"We'll wait until February and then we'll make a decision depending on the situation," the source said.

On Tuesday, the official from the Defense Ministry's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation told that Moscow has sent Paris an official inquiry about its failure to deliver the Mistral.

The official said that to proceed with the issue, either by taking the case to court or giving France more time, Moscow requires a written explanation of the current situation.

The $1.5 billion deal for the delivery of two Mistral-class amphibious assault ships was signed in 2011 between Russian state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport and French shipbuilder DCNS. The first carrier, the , was due by November 14, 2014. However, French President Francois Hollande announced the suspension of the delivery, citing Russia's alleged role in the Ukrainian conflict.

In early December, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called any speculation about the contract's cancellation "premature."

Russian experts estimate that if France fails to fulfill its contractual obligations, it could face penalties up to $10 billion.

Chomsky: We Are All – Fill in the Blank.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.