This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.
France Folds (Again): Reconsiders Mistral Warship Sale To Russia
Various US Senators applauded French President Hollande's decision to suspend the Mistral warship delivery to Russia yesterday. However, they may be disappointed today as, having clearly been reminded of the huge potential penalties that his nation would face (let alone lost revenue/rebates) if it were to cancel the delivery of 2 Mistral warships to Russia, Hollande "explained" today that the contract for the Mistral sale to Russia "is not broken or suspended" but will instead depend on events in the coming weeks. Ironically, the Russians may actually be pleased if the deal is canceled as they avoid overpaying for the ships and benefit from France's weakening.
The US was very excited... U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement regarding French President Francois Hollande’s decision to suspend warship delivery to Russia:
We commend President Hollande’s decision to suspend delivery of a Mistral-class warship to Russia. This announcement sends another clear message to Russia that its continued violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty will lead to severe consequences from the international community. As noted in our letter to President Hollande this summer, the delivery of two Mistral-class warships to the Russian Navy would enhance Russia’s ability to further intimidate neighboring countries and illegally seize sovereign territory. We will continue to urge President Hollande to end cooperation on future construction and sales of these warships to the Russian military. Together we must send an unwavering message to the Russian Federation that its illegal acts of aggression will not be tolerated.
But may be a little disappointed now...
- FRANCE'S HOLLANDE SAYS CONTRACT FOR MISTRAL SALE TO RUSSIA 'NOT BROKEN OR SUSPENDED'
- HOLLANDE SAYS DECISION ON MISTRAL DEPENDS ON 'COMING WEEKS'
Having perhaps realized the costs (and losses) involved...
The French government is studying ways to limit the potential losses from cancellation of a 1.2 billion-euro ($1.6 billion) contract to deliver warships to Russia, two people with knowledge of the matter said.
The authorities in France are looking into how to avoid incurring penalties on top of the cost of refunding the two-ship contract should it be terminated, said the people, who asked not to be named due to the political and financial sensitivity of the matter.
As Bloomberg's Leonid Bershidsky explains,
France’s decision to freeze delivery of a Mistral helicopter-carrier warship to Russia is yet another example of how clueless Western leaders are about Moscow politics. The nationalist hawks who are the strongest supporters of President Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine are all the happier for the suspension.
...
The contract has penalty clauses that France will struggle to avoid, possibly turning Russia's loss on the supposedly unfavorable price into a gain. At the same time, the defense industry will be able to portray Russia's foreign partners as unreliable and argue for increased funding to retool domestic factories.
* * *
Moar costs...
»
- 9937 reads
- Printer-friendly version
- Send to friend
- advertisements -
Just in case, winter gets real cold this year....
ISIS Has 2nd Dibs On The Ships ???
SOLD!!! to the ISIS gentleman in the handsome Langley suit
"I was for it before I was against it."
Why are there trees planted alongside the Champs-Elysees?
Because the Germans (and maybe soon the Russians) like to march in the shade.
For sale: Job lot of French army rifles, never fired and only dropped once.
my understanding is that a large part of the ships were supplied from russia, so those parts will have to be sent back :-)
i suspect the ships will be deliverd once the "troubles" are over.
whatever...Euro is dropping like a rock. Take as long as you want Hollande
- Putin
That's just sooooooo frenchyfrench.
Euro falls (relative to Dollar) = Currency running TO the Dollar.
IOW... Must keep King Dollar on the GRC throne, no matter the costs or sacrifices.
Same as it ever was.
You would think the EuroPeons would eventually figure out that the USSA will sacrifice them in a heartbeat to keep the USD on top of the heap. If it means EuroPeon depression, EuroPeon Serfdom, EuroPeon Caliphite, so be it... so long as the USSA can just keep kicking the can down the road. Hey Belgium, how many billions can you spare to buy US bonds this month? Welcome to the New Feudal World Order.
Larry Ellison may be shopping for a new boat for the next America's Cup.
Again and again …
This kind of article encourages the anti French racists. We will surely have a fireworks of hateful comments, in place of the high level interesting debates we are waiting for...
All this ugly disdain and nasty jokes come from the firm refusal of the French to join America in Irak, in 2003.
Since France refused to go to Iraq, American warmongers and neo-cons made French army look like cowards – as a punishment.
But History has proved the French were right, and that the WMD were only a dirty trick to serve as a pretext.
Nevertheless, the hate of American warmongers against France remains still there, well alive, even in ZH.
This stale hate still shows through "innocent good jokes" about the “surrender monkeys” and their white flags … As for the rest, the French can be proud of their Military History which remains despite these stupid jokes the best military record in Europe.
I think a lot of the comments are jokes...You really need to lighten up a little...nobody hates the French, it will be okay.
If you don't hate them you haven't met any. Arrogant cowardly bastards. Eating their rotting cheese and sneering at everyone, because they think they're better.
Lighten up, Francois.
> Lighten up, Françoise.
there, I fixed it for you
There used to be a website called WWW.FUCKFRANCE.COM No longer, it was taken down by the FBI after some A-Hole named Ivan used it as a platform to store his kiddie porn collection.
Now its just a shadow of its former self, much like your worthless cheese eating, rifle dropping, islamic cum slurping, stinky women, wimpy men, surrnder monkey of a country.
Good use for your falg, http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/04/22/article-0-093F2CE3000005DC-657...
@NOZZLE : you are a hater …
@Jugdish787 :
As you said « I think a lot of the comments are jokes » … In fact the same kind of jokes the NAZIs like …
LIGHTEN UP !
Ace Frog - you are wrong - if anything I personally admire the French for just saying NO - to the USA starting with DeGaulle - who was a patriot and nationalist for french interests not the whore that Merkel is turning out to be
say no to all US economic mercenary actions in eastern europe and middle east!
L'argent et les conneries marche...
French isnt a race...
Well said, Analyse2.
Trade is the only thing that matters. And not the trading of useless fucking bullshit paper promises or financial "products".
Laws, usually you are right with that, but Mistral is a real warship class, not a new derivative
so what to do with those frozen ships? rename them to George W Bush and Condoleeza Rice and sell them to the US? let the EU buy them and form the first backbone of an EU Navy?
remember that this kind of tubs are mostly useful for amphibious landings. they are very... offensive ships
They are also huge targets for artillery skills practice. Just ask the Ukies...
Sell them to the Seattle police department.
... so they can do an amphibious assault on the residents on the San Juan De Fukyou islands.
Oops, they mistook terrArists (organic Terra types) for terrOrists. Their 'bad'.
The Russians already have assault ships with hovercraft LC's.
They never perfected steam catapults on their carrier,so even this tech is not new really
as it doesn't use them.
Are you getting scared of the bear Ghordius ?
Best not to poke him then.
never mind, deleted
Ghordius goes chicken . . .
-30-
"Laws, usually you are right with that, but Mistral is a real warship class, not a new derivative
so what to do with those frozen ships? rename them to George W Bush and Condoleeza Rice and sell them to the US? let the EU buy them and form the first backbone of an EU Navy?
remember that this kind of tubs are mostly useful for amphibious landings. they are very... offensive ships"
I can see another solution : if the DC mafia wants France to not deliver the warships, just print 5 Bil and buy them off.
Sail them home and let them rust in an American harbour. Problem solved.
5 Bil? You've been printing this amount every hour of every single day since 2008.
I'm kinda glad that our dickhead président didn't crack under pressure for once. Vlad you're gonna get your ships!
HOLLANDE CONFIRMS WESTERN STRAGETY OF STUMBLING FROM ONE EMBARRASSING GAFFE TO ANOTHER
Have some pity for the man he has just been "ruined". His words over the book of a former mistress of him. Pretending to care for the poor and calling them toothless bastards in private? Life is such a bitch when you are such a hypocritical ass, isn't it.
Look out Belgium, France is trying to muscle in on the "waffle" trades!
Yes! Go Putin!
It's not the motion of yer lotion it's the size of yer navy bitchez!
Hollande just trying to embarass the US a little (it's the cool thing to do these days). No ships will be sold to Russia from this point forward.
Being embarrased by the French would be more comical were it not so easy to accomplish...
Fuck France...
band of bitches.
Wow, never seen the French retreat so quickly...
(yeah, yeah, I know...)
The French commander in chief retreated twice in 2 days, each time in opposite directions. So the French are basically in the same spot. If he could just make up his mind...
Don't blink when looking at France. You miss out on the funny bits.
Maybe somebody just got their wires crossed and posted "Chaos ab Ordo" (Chaos out of Order).
Dyslexia on the rise?
This must be a surrender record even for France.
Missile technology has made navies obsolete in modern warfare. They are good for moving assets around, but when push comes to shove, there are going to be a lot of new artificial reefs on the bottom.
Hell, the US wargamed this a long time ago, and found out just how vulnerable these boats are in actual war.
As for France, well, they are theatrical, I'll give them that.
pods
Your entire 'merican wartime supply chain is dependant on your navy. Your aggressions on this globe could not be achieved without the deep blue water.
Your military even uses commercial grade software(SAP) to model the deployment of troops and all other support necessary as if it were a factory making shoes.
Ships are modeled as high volume manufacturing plants that have demand and supply that must be equalized with minimal constraints.
When you fall Russia will deploy their navy to capture 'merica. It must be strong and well organized and France will assist with this task.
Perhaps, but you can't have it BOTH ways.
Either they matter (or Russia would not have ordered them), or they do not matter and Russia wasted their money.
Which is it guys?
The contract was signed before all the stupid bs, France has to meet its obligations.
Viva la boobiosity
Chicks ain't as wishy washy as these douchebags.
In other words.... Pay up bitchez or Russia gets it.
Who needs ships that are only good at surrendering anyway?
Either way, Uncle Sam will be picking up the bill.
Laughable shit from the home of incompetence.
Russia said that they would pay cash.
The western Rothschild banksters cannot countenance such a debt free transaction.
Therefore the ships will be "sold" in exchange for more debt to some other Rothschild entity--government.
An American, not US subject.
"Guillotine the Fed!"
Hollande swore on his son that he was not having an affair to his ex while having one. He has all the qualifications for a Nobel Prize.
“He swore on his son’s head that he had no affair”http://rt.com/news/184938-france-hollande-partner-book/
I'm still trying to wrap my head around a mistress being upset over cheating...
That's because you never had one.
"Hollande swore on his son that he was not having an affair to his ex while having one. He has all the qualifications for a Nobel Prize.
“He swore on his son’s head that he had no affair”
http://rt.com/news/184938-france-hollande-partner-book/"
Holy shit! Ze news of ze book has spread to Russia. Boljemoi Hollande's indeed the world's laughing stock. Obozo is a close #2 though...
So, what's his son's height now?
This is turning into such a Farce that even the most slapstick writer could not have done it better. Have they French surrenderd yet, wont take long
Hollande's flip-flopping in between a rock and a hard place.
"About ...turn!"
He needs a bigger nose to be A De Gaulle...
"He needs a bigger nose to be A De Gaulle..."
Yeah and a pair of balls. They don't need to be big they just need to be there.
"Gonads for Hollande!!!"
There are French guys fighting with the NAF to liberate Ukraine from the EU. Vive la France for them. A lot of French want out of the EU.
Their government is unfortunately not so good.
seems like the fascists aren't having a good day. DC fascists must be furious. No destruction today is not good in the eyes of the Nazis. They are destroyers of world, not builders.
http://www.naval-history.net/F62brshipslost.htm
British losses in the Falklands War .. imagine Russia not a 3rd World country was the enemy, Britain would not have a navy any more.
Britain doesn't have a navy anymore. Great time saver.
Yes, and if argentina didn't have so many unexploded bomb hits Argentina would have easily won.
Thanks for the interesting site.
Gosh, could it be that these leaders don't have a fucking clue what they are doing and are absolutely unfit to give any sort of policy to even one single other human being, nevermind an entire country?
Every other job I've ever seen requires previous experience and relevent qualifications. How can they be anything else but incompetent, poorly suited and under qualified?
Yet we keep expecting something different.........
I mean, not even a fucking written entrance exam. Nothing but nothing but hot air and steam from shit.
19% approval rating? Who the fuck are you Hollande. Who. The fuck. Are you?!
Fucking 'leaders'. I wouldn't give them the sweat from my balls.
It'd be hilarious if it wasn't so damned tragic and pathetic.
he is a frigging elected leader
now if he was the appointed Prime Minister of the UK or the appointed Chancellor of Germany, or the appointed PM of any other EU country with the exception of Romania (and obviously France) or an appointed Commissioner of the EU, he would have lost his job with an approval rating of 19&, either through his own party or his coalition or through parliament
but no, he is elected, and so the French can't get rid of him and appoint a different one
but if you ask many ZH commenters, direct election is way superior to parliamentary appointment systems, and the greatest chorus is always to chant "unelected !!!"
rant end
It's the paradigm Ghordy, the motherfucking paradigm my friend, that's what gets my goat. I care little for the mechanics of the electoral process of a broken system that only a dishonest man would try and defend as just. The manner of their ascension matters not, only that they are there with little qualification or practical experience, time and time again, country after country.
When you've got three unqualified fucking idiots in the running, so what? You've got a choice of three unsuitable candidates? What's the collective term? A clusterfuck?
I know where you're coming from though. The electoral process is sacrosanct! A joke. A bad one.
Just one guy or gal that can do the job, because they're the best person for the job, not because of their thickness of their wad or the slickness of their toungue. Just. Fucking. Once. Too much to ask?
Yes I think it is. Here's why. Those that are the best for the job do not want the job, because they are smart enough to know that the only way to truly change our lot is to not play the game in the first place, and to abondon the system entirely. They know that no real change can come about for the parasitized plebs through the established and fully controlled political process. Those that believe the system is just and enter the ring, are soon disillisioned and either abscond or become entrenched and indifferent careerists, playing the role for their masters. Then of course there are those that are smart enough to understand the nature of the beast and willingly submit to its agenda, for what spoils may be acquired. In the end, I like to think that when a thoughtful individual mind turns inward and works towards fortifying family and community, there is no need for political "leaders" of any ilk. Cheers.
Exactly the same sh!t happened in the u.s. The 17th amendment eliminated the states participating in the national government in favor of the elected morons we so enjoy today. That also officially ended the republic.
The Fed, the income tax (16th) and the 17th in one year. WOW! Then to eliminate any competition to it's monopoly on power it neutered the constitutional state militias (4th branch of government) into a National Guard so they could enter WWI and take over the militias three constitutional directives. The National Guard cannot replace the militias as it is a part of the national governments standing army which was detested by the founders and used only when necessary.
Got carried away................ apoligies.
R
france pulled this same exact shit on israel in 1969. with 5 boats. each about 40 meters long if i remember.
you know what israel did? they used a clever ruse to get the boats to israel.
how? they pretended to cancel the contract by 'selling' them to commercial norwegian companies with the intent of re-outfitting them. they used that excuse to have their navy squads show the norwegians how to use the boats before the sale could be completed. this was the pretext for having the french navy move the boats to commercial french ports and give access to israeli's to use the boats for selling them to the norwegians.
one stormy night at 2am, they just took off for israel from france. the head of the french defense ministry order france to bomb the boats out of the water by air,---probably because his ass would look stupid--------and then the generals in charge of the french air-force told him to go fuck himself. the political head of the french military told off by the actual generals.
oh yea, and guess how the french found out about the theft? about 6 hours later after the boats left port-----from the BBC!!!!
The penalty clauses in the contract need to be enforced by an EU court. There is nothing to worry about. Russia pays for the ships. France gives those same ships to the Ukraine as part of a war reparations settlement with Russia.
Everybody is happy.
Last time i checked Russia is not at war with the Ukraine so ?
How do you enforce war reparations on somebody who is winning? Only losers pay.
Putin is winning in the same way Charlie Sheen was winning.
NATO is making serious inroads into traditional CIS turf. Do not be surprised if Belarus and Kazakhstan become NATO members within 10 years.
I'm sure BRIC et al are watching how Russia handles herself. With a partner like that, do you need enemies?
I am guessing the Chinese knock offs (of better quality and less spyware infecting them) will be delivered before the French ones.
What a shocker the French - surrendered - again.
We still love your wine, food, women and poltics :-)
Only if all 4 are intermingled in one messy hairball
'france and england are in the past, period!... and, when you fade into the shadow of a 'dilated`mirror'd-morrow's`past'... mounted upon a carousel, spinning and shuttering with the speed of light your earthly name'd`tyme-stamped aperture setting [???] already halving eclipsed... thusly, teetering on an inward bound event-horizon gnomon?'
'germany will always have hope regarding mother tyme... being an emancipated and pacified de`demagogue evolutionary product of darwinian survivalist instincts!'
the russian's and chinese will always be with us... til?, the end of tyme
Joe: "What is the most famous French quote?"
Bob: "I give up."
Joe: "You are correct!"
C'est la vie.
Also to consider: the whole hull was built in Russia and sent to France. The ship was just assembled there. So should the contract be terminated, additionnaly to penalties, Russian may ask to get the hull back
Apparently Obama threathened to leak Hollandes ICloud photos.
Apparently Obama threathened to leak Hollandes ICloud photos.
I used to be indecisive....now, I'm not so sure.
http://olduvai.ca
the menstrual ship is probably a bitch to drive anyways.
Apparently the Offering Plate that France passed around during the NATO Summit came back empty.
R
time to drone France's shipbuilders
get on it Barry
Vive la France !
At the rate France is going, Hollande and all his cronies will have to go live on them...
China builds ships. Hell Russia builds ships. Fuck France, the EU, and NATO.
,
I was reading up on this POS, it's basically a platform transport ship capable of landing a small fleet of helicopters and vehicles, also extremely easy to take out via small explosive boat. Minimal offensive armament and zero line of sight on said weapons below the deck, much like france it is a clusterfuck. I'm not even sure why Russia would want them.
As if ships must sail solo. For Christ's sake, have you ever heard of a task force? Do you know what an escort ship is and what it's function is within said task force?
Actually read quite a bit about that as well, turns out other than the US a lot of Navy's have to allocate resources for escort ships and don't entirely like to do so with a ship like this. I am well aware of the purpose of pieces of a task force but I dare you to find another ship (at least in the US navy) that doesn't carry at least double that defensive capability, hell even a carrier brings 3-4 phalanx systems to the fight.
The Normandy invasion was 5000 ships protected by 900 warships. Each ship is an element in a military system. I still think a Mistral is a waste of money. huge upkeep and army invasions are sooo 20th century.
Too subtle for straight thinking Nato guys! Lol !
Lets see what Putin thinks.
interesting to chew on.....
[–]http://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/_12lNU-FAgbpUEirPopQ0fRIz9OUpaKuFf52Xx7j...) -96px -121px no-repeat #bbbbbb;" title="Soviet Reunion">Soviet Reunion3domhttps://s3.amazonaws.com/e.thumbs.redditmedia.com/r22WT2K4sio9Bvev.png); background-position: -16px -137px; background-repeat: no-repeat;" title="set a tag"> [score hidden] an hour ago*
Here are speculations of educated insider.
If EU and US will provide slightly higher pressure (some more sanctions + help to Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova) - there is good chance to see the fall of Soviet Reunion before World Cup 18.
It's serious but it won't lead to new cold war - just a couple cold battles maybe - because population of RuFed is close to boiling point, government's bankruptcy and/or severe sanctions may spark explosion of separatism. Either RuFed will remove Putin and its government from control (and army from Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia) or there is serious possibility for the "empire" to go belly up in couple years.
I bet local bureaucrats already have plans what to do as separate countries, in fact there are already ready-to-use customs post structures inside RuFed[1] https://redditstatic.s3.amazonaws.com/sprite-reddit.jzJhk9_9j8Q.png) 0px -192px no-repeat scroll transparent;"> + regions of RuFed already act as separate states, they have less integration than countries in EU and that is why Kremlin was so hysterical about Ukraine and Georgia signing association agreement with EU - because it's almost the same level of integration as relations between regions within RuFed. Another example: when a citizen move between regions of RuFed she/he need passport and visa on arrival(a.k.a. "registracia") which is strongly linked to property ownership rights (if you don't own another real estate you can legally live within estate there you have registracia indefinitely without consent of other tenants).
http://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/2fh8s7/russiaukrainenato_how_ser...
Sans dentes.
Jerry lewis legion of honor go figure
Listen all y'all it's a sabotage
Cancelling the contract will benefit Russia by lowering it's balance of payments and enabling it to use that money in other, more productive ways like CapEx instead of destructive, expensive machinery like warships.
All military hardware is procured to feed the MIC, and Russia is no different than the US in this regard.
French women wonderful and the food is good, but you can have the rest of it.
Large surface warships are dinosaurs. Look what happened in the Falklands War. The Argentinian cruiser General Belgrano was sunk, with great loss of life, by a British submarine, and HMS Sheffield was destroyed by a French Exocet missile. Two Exocets were fired at the Sheffield. One missed by a half mile, and the one that hit the ship did not explode, but it knocked out the main fire suppression line and the missile propellant started a fire that burned for days. Aircraft carriers are big fat sitting ducks to modern anti-ship missiles and submarines.
It is not an aircraft carrier. It is a HELICOPTER carrier 20,000 tonnes 193m long....it is a command ship
Fuck France and fuck NATO! Russia should build their own ships at Sevmash!
http://www.sevmash.ru/
And by the way
Mr. Putan , could you send russian rubils
Hopefully Hollande and the French have a "ring of steel" as strong as that of the Welsh population 'cause they're being shafted back door style by Obie "1 big con" Obie, Joe Bidense, the EU et all.
Let me guess... In a few weeks or months, provided the ships are not delivered, the BNP Paribas $9b fine will be either forgiven, cancelled, or indefinitely detained by the Easter Bunny.
Rumors has it that UPC renewables might have issues elsewhere and are looking to France via a proxy. However, problems have arisen there too.
Global warming
Global cooling
Polls are now open!
Letsee,
Can the Frech Impeach Messr. Hollande; and run a new set of Elections? If so, will they select Mme. Le Pen?
It's like a French Benny Hill with Hollande chasing Russians & Americans with a white flag! "But Monsieur, I surrender? No, don't run away, I'll surrender to ze other guy! Mon Dieu, who do I surrender to?!"
France has become a puppet/parrot/poodle of America which is led by a Homo drug addict President trying to revive his own economy by dragging the whole world into nuclear war thinking that America would be safe while the Europe & Mid-east burns which would (supposedly) provide America control of ALL the natural resources of the world when Russia is defeated and its top leaders are killed like the Nazis.
Obomba how naive chimp brained he is. We can only laugh at the European sivilized puppets which they really are (like Camerron , Holande, Eu leaders) trying to get attention of their leader (Obomba) by showing their bare a$$es to him to whet his Homo desires vying for his penetration (which is there already).