France Confident About Mistral Sale

French Defense Minister Yves Le Drian has affirmed that France would find buyers for their two Mistral-class ships.

Russian military-technical cooperation sector has confirmed to TASS that they will start dismantling Russian technology from the French ships on Monday. Originally meant for Russia, the two Mistral-class vessels were built by STX France in Saint-Nazaire. France, however, suspended the delivery of ships due to Russia’s involvement in the Ukraine crisis.

Although there were talks and predictions about who would buy the two Mistrals, France was unable to engage in formal negotiations until the deal with Russia had been broken off. In early August, France reached an official agreement with Russia to cancel the contract.

Defense Minister Le Drian told Le Monde he is confident that France would complete the sale of the two ships within the next few weeks.

Some of the potential buyers mentioned were Egypt, India and Singapore.

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Naval Today Staff, Image: STX France