The "floating" fate of the Mistral warship
(Baonghean) - On Thursday night and early Friday morning, Sebastopol - one of the two Mistral warships that Russia ordered from France was launched in Saint-Nazaire. However, similar to the fate of its twin brother Vladivostok, Sebastopol's delivery will be suspended until the crisis in Ukraine is resolved.
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| The sale of the two Mistral warships is currently mired in a political and military mess. Photo: Jean-Sebastien Evrard |
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Named after a major port in Crimea, which Russia annexed in March, Sevastopol is theoretically due to be handed over to Russia in October 2015. The Vladivostok is due to be delivered in early November as part of a €1.2 billion contract signed between Russia and shipbuilder DCNS in June 2011 under the chairmanship of Nicolas Sarkozy.
The delivery of the Mistrals has been in trouble since September, when President Francois Hollande decided to link the delivery of the ships to a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine. He has repeatedly stated that the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine must be “fully respected” before Paris can deliver the Vladivostok.
After attending the G20 summit in Brisbane, Australia, and facing pressure from Russia, the French President seemed to have little concern about this issue. Yesterday, Mr. Hollande declared that he wanted to remove “all the pressures” from his mind and even “time”.
Chu Thanh
According to LeMonde November 21
