Russia may sue France over delay in warships delivery

Moscow says it may file a lawsuit against Paris over France’s decision to suspend the delivery of two Russian-ordered warships under a 2011 contract.

“There is a contract, so everything must be strictly complied with,” said the Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu on Thursday, adding, “If the contract is abused, naturally a lawsuit follows.”

Shoigu added that the legal proceedings will take around six months and the Russian government will wait to see if France reconsiders its decision.

On Tuesday, Russia said it had demanded an official explanation from France over its failure to deliver the the first of two Mistral-class warships to Moscow.

Back in November, the French government suspended the military transaction with Russia over Moscow’s alleged role in the Ukrainian crisis.

Based on the 2011 deal worth 1.2 billion euros (USD 1.5 billion),  the first warship, the Vladivostok, and the second, the Sevastopol, were due to be handed over to Moscow in November 2014 and next year, respectively.

The West accuses Moscow of supporting pro-Russia forces in east Ukraine, saying the Russian intervention poses a security threat to Ukraine and all other neighboring states. Russia has strongly denied the allegations.

The two mainly Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine have been the scene of deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since Kiev’s military operation started in mid-April in a bid to crush the protests.

Violence intensified in May after the two flashpoint regions held local referendums in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine and joining the Russian Federation.