WASHINGTON, October 3 (RIA Novosti) -The delivery of the Mistral-class warships to Russia will depend on the ceasefire agreement in Ukraine and could take place at the beginning of November, French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian said at the joint Pentagon briefing with US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on Thursday.
"The decision will be taken at the time of delivery. That should be at the end of October (or the) beginning of November," Le Drian said late on Thursday.
Le Drian added there were two elements by which French President Francois Hollande would allow the delivery to proceed.
"First, a lasting cease fire and, on the other hand, the start of a serious political process and it is when looking at both conditions that he is going to take his decision at that time," France's Defense Minister stated.
Le Drian noted that French President Francois Hollande said conditions were not ripe for delivery in September.
On October 1, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov told RIA Novosti that Russia expects France to deliver Mistral-class amphibious assault ships on schedule.
The 1.2-billion-euro ($1.7 billion at the current exchange rate) contract to supply the Mistral-class ships between the French ship-building company DCNS and Russia's state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport was signed in June 2011. The first carrier, the Vladivostok, is to be operated by the Russian Navy in 2014, while the second ship, the Sevastopol, will arrive in 2015.
Earlier in September, French President Francois Hollande threatened to suspend the delivery of the helicopter carriers, citing alleged involvement of Russia in the Ukrainian crisis as the reason. However, a French diplomatic source later told RIA Novosti that the delivery had not been officially put off and that the French president was simply outlining his political stance.
Hollande later stated he would make the decision in late October. The president added that the two conditions for the delivery of the ships are an observed ceasefire in Ukraine and a political settlement of the conflict.
On September 30, Igor Sevastyanov, a deputy director general of Rosoboronexport, announced that Russia and France may sign an act on transferring first French-built Mistral class amphibious assault ship to Russia in late October or early November.
