Russia Declares Handover or-Refund Stance on Mistral Ships Deal.

Russia Declares Handover or-Refund Stance on Mistral Ships Deal. (SP).

Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov stated that Moscow’s position on the delivery of Mistral-class helicopter carriers from France boils down to two: either the ships or a refund.

Moscow’s position on the delivery of Mistral-class helicopter carriers from France boils down to two: either the ships or a refund, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said Monday.

“As our president has [already] told the press, the topic of the Mistral was not discussed [during an unscheduled meeting in Moscow with French President Francoise Hollande]. The president also said that we understand the situation calmly, and that in principle two variants would suffice: either the ships or the money that should be returned,” Ushakov said.

An impromptu meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart, Francois Hollande took place Saturday in Moscow's Vnukovo-2 Airport.

Putin said Saturday the issue of Mistral delivery had not been brought up during his rendezvous with Hollande, but stressed Moscow would "proceed from the assumption" that Paris meant to honor the contract.

The Russian president added, however, that Moscow would "have no major complaints" if Paris did not deliver on its contractual obligations since it expected the money paid for two ships to be returned.

Last week, Putin's senior aide said Moscow expected France to make its final decision on the ships deal known before the turn of the year. He warned Russia might file a lawsuit with the European Court of Arbitration "next year" to seek damages from France. Read the full story here.