Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Russians leaving France without the Warship they came for

Russian sailors peer from portholes of the Russian navy ship 
Smolny as it leaves the port of Saint-Nazaire, western France, 
Thursday, Dec.18, 2014. (AP / Laetitia Notarianni)
Hundreds of Russian sailors pulled out of a French port Thursday, bearing perfumes for their loved ones but lacking the controversial bounty they came for: a 1-billion-euro, French-built warship that has become a hostage to the biggest East-West conflict since the Cold War.
The Vladivostok helicopter carrier is part of a strange and divisive arms deal now on hold -- and perhaps on the verge of collapse -- because of the conflict in Ukraine. France built it for Russia's navy but is now having second thoughts, notably amid heavy U.S. criticism of the deal.
Russian sailors embark the Smolny before leaving the port 
of Saint-Nazaire western France, Thursday, Dec.18, 2014. 
(AP / Laetitia Notarianni)
After months training on the ship, the Russian sailors left the port town of Saint-Nazaire empty-handed. The ship, painted with Cyrillic letters reading "VLADIVOSTOK," floats in a dock, unused. A second ship meant to be part of the deal is there, too, an expensive diplomatic embarrassment.
[...]
... The sale of the ships -- which could allow Russia to land hundreds of troops quickly on foreign soil -- worried Russia's neighbours, including the three Baltic countries in NATO.
The Vladivosto docked in France
Morin, who took part in the negotiations in 2009-2010, told The Associated Press, "Some were for and against around the table. In the end, Sarkozy arbitrated, saying: 'We do it."'
Today, Morin admits he has changed his mind. "It was a political gesture when we signed the deal, it is a political gesture, too, when we deliver it" -- or not, he said.
CLICK CHART for details on the type of ship in question
The deal has become a liability for Sarkozy's Socialist successor Francois Hollande. In August he put it on hold, saying "conditions haven't been met" to deliver the ship. In November he said formalized the suspension "until further notice." ...
Read the rest of the story HERE.

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