The New York Times: “France’s Sale of 2 Ships to Russians Is Ill-Advised, U.S. Warns”

In 2011 France signed a contract with Russia for two warships. Russia is now considering buying another two Mistral-class ships, but this is unlikely to happen until after the first two are delivered.

This deal with France and Russia has served as a warning to another part of the United States and Europe. Journalist Michael Gordon emphasized this issue in his article published on the New York Times website on May 14.

The author said if the ships were delivered, this would augment the Russian military’s capabilities against the nations that now appear to be most vulnerable to the Kremlin’s pressure — namely the Black Sea states of Ukraine and Georgia and the Baltic states that belong to NATO.

Georgia, whose breakaway regions were occupied by Russian troops in 2008, was worried by the potential sale, especially after a Russian naval commander was quoted as saying Russia’s Black Sea Fleet could have carried out its mission during that conflict "in 40 minutes” if it had possessed a ship like the Mistral.

Read the full article on: www.nytimes.com