France has decided to delay delivery of two Mistral high-tech amphibious assault ships to the Russian Navy.
President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday that delivery of the first ship, the Vladivostok, scheduled for this month, would be delayed until "further notice."
The statement from the Elysée Palace came after Russia threatened serious repercussions if France refused to honor the $1.65-billion contract that is opposed by Washington and by Russia's neighbors, including the Baltic states.
The French president determined that is would not be appropriate to make the delivery with the current situation in Ukraine.
These must be some pretty effective weapons systems.
The 590-foot, 22,000-ton Mistral can carry 16 helicopters, four landing craft, 60 armored vehicles, 13 tanks and between 450 and 700 soldiers for up to six months.
Among French military personnel, the vessel is known as the "Swiss army knife" of ships for its multiple attack capabilities and use as a command center and hospital.
In 2008, Vladimir Vysotsky, head of the Russian navy, said his forces would have been victorious in Georgia "in just 40 minutes" if his aging Black Sea fleet had been equipped with the Mistral.
Shortly after Vysotsky made his remark, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a visit to Paris: "I can assure you that if we purchase this armament, we will use it wherever deemed necessary."
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