Russia to Accept Any Scenario With Mistral Helicopter Carriers

© Sputnik / Grigoriy SisoevThe Sevastopol amphibious assault ship of the Mistral class at the STX Europe shipyard in Saint-Nazaire.
The Sevastopol amphibious assault ship of the Mistral class at the STX Europe shipyard in Saint-Nazaire. - Sputnik International
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The Russian Defense Ministry is ready for any decision of France regarding the Mistral deal. Moscow expects Paris to hand over the helicopter carriers or return the money Russia paid for the ships.

Russian sailors stand in formation in front of the Mistral-class helicopter carrier Vladivostok at the STX Les Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard site in Saint-Nazaire - Sputnik International
Russian Sailors Trained for Mistral Weighs Anchor Leave French Port
MOSCOW, December 20 (Sputnik) – Russia will accept any development of the situation with Mistral-class helicopter carriers, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said Saturday.

“We will accept any scenario of Mistral deal developments. It is not important whether the decision will be made on December 31 or January 1, 2015, we are awaiting France’s decision,” Borisov told reporters,, adding that both ships delivery or refund of all the money invested in the project will equally suit Moscow.

Under the $1.5 billion contract signed in June 2011, France should build two Mistral-class helicopter carriers for the Russian Navy.

French Mistral-class amphibious assault ship moored near Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment in St. Petersburg - Sputnik International
Russia Declares Delivery-Or-Refund Stance on Mistral Ships Deal
The handover of the first carrier, the Vladivostok, was originally scheduled for November 14, 2014 but France overran the deadline, with French President Francois Hollande citing the ongoing crisis in eastern Ukraine as a cause for the breakdown in the deal.

On December 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow expected the contract to be fulfilled. Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov later announced that Moscow's position on the delivery of Mistral-class helicopter carriers from France boils down to two options: either the ships or a refund.

On Thursday, Russian sailors who had trained to operate the vessels since June in the French port of Saint-Nazaire, returned to Russia. Previously, they were expected to remain in Saint-Nazaire until the Vladivostok vessel was handed over to the Russian Navy, according to a Russian military source.

© SputnikMistral Amphibious Assault Helicopter Carrier
Mistral Amphibious Assault Helicopter Carrier  - Sputnik International
Mistral Amphibious Assault Helicopter Carrier
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