New York - Kyiv, October 13 (PolitNavigator, Vasily Ablyazimov) - The French government's threat to stop the sale of two Mistral warships to Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine could cost French shipbuilder DCNS billions of dollars in penalties for breach of contract, Inernational reported on Sunday. Business Times.
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Although recent sanctions imposed by France on Russia do not prohibit the sale of the two vessels, French President Francois Hollande decided to delay the delivery of the first ship under constant pressure from other NATO members.
While the two French companies involved in the deal continue to work as usual on the construction of the Mistrals, Rosoboronexport, the Russian government body that is responsible for the export and import of military products, is seriously considering legal action against the shipbuilder DCNS if it misses delivery deadlines for the ships. . Hollande will make a final decision on the fate of the ships this month.
“This will be a very special lawsuit,” lawyer Allen Green, an international arbitration expert and partner at the Washington law firm McKenna, Long & Aldridge LLP, told the publication. “The contract may or may not have guarantees from the French government that the French government will reimburse direct losses plus a fine if the contract breaks down.” At the same time, the publication notes, the shipbuilder DCNS is 64 percent owned by the French government, which in turn, willy-nilly, will bring huge losses to France.
Citing an anonymous source at Rossoboronexport, Inernational Business Times reported the full amount of monetary compensation specified in the contract, and it is equal to $3,8 billion.
The other day, Hollande said that supplies could resume if Russia adheres to the ceasefire agreement and signs a political settlement agreement that stops hostilities in the region, the Washington Post reports.
But even the ceasefire is a moot point, since Russia is not officially at war with Ukraine, and it is only the widespread belief among Western powers and Western media that Russia continues to supply weapons to rebels in eastern Ukraine, which could be challenged in court over the supply. ships. France, the publication notes, found itself in a very delicate and uncomfortable position due to the crisis in Ukraine.