French Lawmakers Denounce Termination of Mistral Contract With Russia

French lawmakers have strongly criticized the decision by President Francois Hollande to terminate the contract on the construction and delivery of two Mistral-class helicopter carriers to Russia.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, the Kremlin press service announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart had terminated the contract.

France's former Minister of Transport Thierry Mariani said that Paris had surrendered to the influence of the United States and Europe in deciding to terminate the Mistral contract with Moscow.

"Hollande has conceded, France has obeyed the United States and Europe. This is a day of mourning for what is left of our national independence," Mariani wrote in his official Twitter account.

#Mistral. Hollande a cédé et la France obéi aux USA et à l'Europe. Jour de deuil pour ce qu'il reste de notre indépendance nationale…

— Thierry MARIANI ن (@ThierryMARIANI) 5 августа 2015

The president of the National Front, the third-largest political party in France, Marine Le Pen, said that the country had seriously discredited itself when Hollande canceled the deal.

"The official termination of the deal on Mistral helicopter carriers [delivery to Russia] is Francois Hollande's serious mistake and causes serious damage to the reputation of France," Le Pen said in a statement.

Eric Ciotti, a member of the National Assembly of France and lawmaker of the Republicans party echoed this stance in an interview with Sud Radio, stating that France's refusal to deliver Mistral vessels was "an absolute mistake."

"There is an impression that in this case the president of France obeyed to the dictates of the United States," Ciotti on the radio station Sud Radio.

The president of the France Arise party, formerly within the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), called the contract termination a "paradox," as France canceled the Mistrals delivery to Russia while agreeing to sell Rafale fighter jets to Qatar.

Nadine Morano, a lawmaker for the Republicans, said that the Mistral deal termination undermined France's trustworthiness.

"The refusal of France to fulfill its obligations under the contract undermines its credibility in the international arena… Our shipbuilding industry discredited," she said in a post on her official Facebook page.

Russia and France signed a 1.2 billion euro ($1.3 billion) agreement for the purchase of two Mistral-class helicopter carriers in 2011.

In November 2014, Paris suspended the contract, citing Moscow's alleged participation in the Ukrainian conflict. Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations. Moscow said that France may use the vessels once on-board Russian equipment is returned.