“Conditions today are not met to deliver the Mistral,” the French finance minister has announced.<br /><br />Michel Sapin’s comment echoes earlier statements from Paris concerning the sale to Russia of the two controversial warships.<br /><br />On October 28, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves le Drian implied that a decision had yet to be made.<br /><br />“If the political conditions do not change I can’t imagine the delivery being authorised. The French president will make his decision at the moment of delivery,” he said. <br /><br />Sapin said the ‘conditions’ he was referring to concerned the need for a more stable situation in Ukraine.<br /><br />His remarks came a day after senior Russian defence official Dmitry Rogozin was quoted as saying Moscow would take delivery of the first helicopter carrier on November 14.<br /><br />It is now unclear when, if at all, the hand over will take place.<br /><br />France was under the leadership of Nicolas Sarkozy when the contract was signed in 2011. <br /><br />Western partners have since put pressure on current President François Hollande to abandon the deal due to the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine.<br /><br />However, reports suggest France will have to pay a multi-million-euro fee if it pulls out.
