MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Francois Hollande raised the issue of the non-delivery of the Mistral-class helicopter carriers during their meeting in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, but no concrete dates were set to resolve the issue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.
Peskov told journalists:
“No, no concrete dates were voiced, but I’ll reiterate that the topic was touched upon in regard to what was earlier said before the press conference in Paris by the French president, at which the position was confirmed.”
He added that Russia’s position stands firm and is simple.
“[Our] position is simple: it’s either the goods or the amount already paid. Overall, this is confirmed that the sides have a similar position on this,” Peskov added.
Russia has repeatedly denied its involvement in the Ukrainian internal conflict, and condemned France's failure to deliver on its contractual obligations, adding that Paris would have to pay a large penalty if the deal was cancelled.
Last week, Hollande said that Paris could return Moscow’s payment for the warships if the contract is terminated.