France won't cancel warship deal with Russia: sources
Source: Reuters
(Reuters) - France will press ahead with a 1.2 billion-euro ($1.66 billion) contract to sell helicopter carriers to Russia because cancelling the deal would do more damage to Paris than to Moscow, French diplomatic sources said on Monday.
France has come under pressure from Washington and some European partners to reconsider its supply of high-tech military hardware to Moscow. It had said it would review the deal in October - but not before.
However, French diplomatic sources said on Monday the 2011 contract with Russia for two Mistral helicopter carriers, with an option for two more, would not be part of a third round of sanctions against Moscow.
"The Mistrals are not part of the third level of sanctions. They will be delivered. The contract has been paid and there would be financial penalties for not delivering it.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/12/us-france-russia-mistral-idUSBREA4B05920140512
From last week :
US voices 'concerns' at sale of French warships to Russia http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014799874#post4
Demeter
(85,373 posts)that's French, isn't it?
Realpolitik (from German: real "realistic", "practical", or "actual"; and Politik "politics", German pronunciation: [ʁeˈaːlpoliˌtɪk]) is politics or diplomacy based primarily on power and on practical and material factors and considerations, rather than explicit ideological notions or moral or ethical premises. In this respect, it shares aspects of its philosophical approach with those of realism and pragmatism. The term Realpolitik is sometimes used pejoratively to imply politics that are coercive, amoral, or Machiavellian.
France, putting a thumb in Merkel's eye...
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)The USA's eye.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)I guess it's time for us to start calling brie "freedom cheese," or offer some equally ineffectual gesture.
MisterP
(23,730 posts)okaawhatever
(9,462 posts)US/UK/Germany didn't want to split the cost or they're still negotiating.