YEKATERINBURG, October 6 (RIA Novosti) - France is hoping that sanctions against Russia will be lifted soon, as they were not meant to last for long, French Ambassador to Russia Jean-Maurice Ripert told journalists Monday.
"Sanctions are not meant to last long, they should be suspended," Ripert said.
"There are peaceful solutions, which are now being realized," the ambassador added.
Ripert stated that France hopes to "come out of this sanctions cycle in a very close future," so that its partnership with Russia will not be restricted in any way.
Russia and France signed a $1.6 billion deal for two Mistral-class ships in June 2011. The first carrier, the Vladivostok, was expected in Russia by the end of 2014. The second ship, the Sevastopol, was supposed to arrive in 2015.
The completion of a deal has been at risk since the West started implementing targeted economic sanctions against Russia over Ukrainian crisis. France has repeatedly threatened to suspend the deliveries of the ships.
Moscow stated that if the contact was cancelled, Paris would have to pay a large penalty. Russia has also said that if anything goes wrong, the country would be able to build an analogue to the Mistral by itself.
