France pays compensation of €1.2 billion to Russia for Mistral

Baku. 6 August. REPORT.AZ/ France will pay full compensation to Russia for two Mistral helicopter carriers, Report informs citing Russian TASS, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told RTL radio station on Thursday.

The sum of compensation stands at around €1.2 billion, he said confirming that the two warships will become property of France after the compensation is paid. "France and Russia do not have any more disagreements on this issue with ships," Le Drian stressed.

"I am confident that others will want to buy these helicopter carriers. Several countries have already expressed their interest," he noted.

The initial deal with Russia was cancelled because "the situation has changed since 2011, when the contract was signed," the defense minister said. "It is undesirable to create additional risks to an already existing threat," he noted, talking about the situation around the Ukrainian conflict.