Word: mistral
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Dates: during 2010-2019
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Amid protests from the U.S. and Georgia, French President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed on March 1 that France was negotiating the sale of four Mistral-class assault ships to Russia. The announcement, which came at the start of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev's three-day state visit, marks the first such deal between Moscow and a NATO country. While Sarkozy described the deal as an attempt to move beyond Soviet-era politics, nearby nations have raised concerns about the decision to sell the ships--which can carry troops, helicopters and armored vehicles--to a country that launched an offensive against...
...That goes for military deals. On Monday, Sarkozy confirmed that France was negotiating with Russia over the sale of four Mistral-class assault ships worth a total of about $2 billion - the first deal of its kind between a NATO member and Moscow. It's turning heads for other reasons too. A Russian admiral recently said the amphibious vessels - which can carry 15 helicopters or 70 armored vehicles - would have allowed Russia to complete its August 2008 invasion of Georgia in a matter of hours. Little wonder, then, that the deal has prompted deep concern among American defense officials...
...Strategic Relations in Paris. "Sarkozy also knows Europe's defense industry is still largely divided along national lines and appears destined for huge restructuring and consolidation. The nation with the biggest contracts out will get the biggest slice of that consolidated European pie - which is why neither the Mistral deal nor Russia as a military market should be underestimated...