MOSCOW, November 6 (RIA Novosti) — Moscow has not yet received any official notification from Paris about the fate of the first Mistral-class helicopter carrier built in France for to Russia and ready to wait until the end of 2014 to finalize the transfer of the ship, a high-ranking defense industry source told RIA Novosti Thursday.
"Moscow is waiting for Paris to make a decision. We have not received any notices about the delay, suspension or cancellation of the contract," the source told RIA Novosti on condition of anonymity.
Some media reports earlier claimed that the transfer could be delayed for at least three months.
"We are ready to take delivery of the ship and we will wait until the end of the year," the source said.
On Wednesday, media reported that according to French Finance Minister Michel Sapin, conditions have not been met for the handover of the Mistral to Russia.
Later that day, an official from the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said Moscow had not received any information from Paris in regard to why the helicopter carrier contract could not be fulfilled.
Russia and France signed a 1.2 billion euro ($1.5 billion) deal for the delivery of two Mistral-class warships in June 2011. The first vessel, the Vladivostok, is expected in Russia by the end of 2014. The second ship, the Sevastopol, is supposed to arrive in 2015.
However, the deal has been at risk since the West began imposing economic sanctions on Russia because of its alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict. French President Francois Hollande said in September France could suspend the deliveries of the ships to Russia.
