US voices 'concerns' at sale of French warships to Russia
US
officials on Thursday voiced concern at the sale of French warships to
Moscow as they mull tougher sanctions on Russia for the political
upheaval triggered by the crisis in Ukraine. \"We have regularly and
consistently expressed our concerns about this sale even before we had
the latest Russian…
US voices 'concerns' at sale of French warships to Russia
2 hours ago
"We have regularly and consistently expressed our concerns about this sale even before we had the latest Russian actions and we will continue to do so," Assistant Secretary for Europe Victoria Nuland told US lawmakers ahead of a visit next week to Washington by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
The
first of two Mistral warships is not due to be delivered to Russia
until October, and France has so far resisted pressure to suspend the
controversial $1.2 billion contract.
The
Mistral is an advanced helicopter assault ship and France's 2011
agreement to sell them to Russia already triggered protests from the
United States and other NATO allies.
The
first of the warships, named the Vladivostok, is due to be delivered in
October, while the second, "The Sebastopol" is to be delivered in 2015
and stationed with the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the Crimea -- annexed
in March by Moscow.
French
Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in March that "the question" of
whether to suspend the sale "will arise in October" and any decision
was postponed until then.
The
United States and its EU allies are mulling whether to impose deeper
sectoral sanctions on Moscow for its annexation of Ukraine's southern
Crimea peninsula and its interference in eastern Ukraine.
Fabius
is expected to come under pressure from US officials during his visit
to Washington next week. He said in late March that Paris may cancel the
Mistral sale if Moscow does not change its policies towards Kiev.
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