PARIS (AP) – Responding to international pressure, France suspended the delivery of a warship to Russia at least until November amid security concerns over Moscow’s role in the Ukraine crisis, officials said Wednesday.
The Vladivostok, the first of two Mistral-class helicopter carriers ordered by Russia, was due to be delivered next month as part of a 1.2 billion euro ($1.6 billion) contract – the biggest-ever sale of NATO weaponry to Moscow.
The second ship, named Sevastopol, ironically, after a port in the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula, has been slated for delivery next year.
In an announcement on the eve of a NATO summit in Wales, French President Francois Hollande’s office called the fighting in eastern Ukraine “grave,” and said Russia’s recent actions harm “the foundations of security in Europe.”
It also came after months of pressure on France from allies to suspend the sale because of tensions between Russia and Ukraine.