Compensation for Failed Mistral Deal Should Be Decided by Experts

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The sum that France should pay Russia for the failed deal to build Mistral-class warships should be calculated by experts, Russia"s envoy to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, said Friday.

"The French government has dragged on for quite a while and has eventually chosen one of the two options, and this option is the compensation," he said during a Rossiya-24 TV broadcast. "It is up to experts to decide what compensation would satisfy both sides."

Russia and France signed a $1.5-billion deal for two Mistral-class helicopter carriers in 2011. The handover of the first ship to Russia was scheduled for November 2014, but never happened. French President Francois Hollande put the delivery on hold due to Moscow's alleged interference in the Ukrainian crisis.

Moscow has repeatedly denied the accusations, and urged Paris to deliver on its contractual obligations.

Earlier on Friday, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that Paris had proposed Moscow to terminate the contract, offering to pay some 785 million euros ($865 million) back, on condition that Russia allows France to sell the ships to a third party.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has declined to comment on compensations allegedly proposed by Paris.