MOSCOW, August 6. /TASS/. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has acknowledged he has no idea how much France has agreed to pay Russia for its failure to deliver two helicopter-carrying amphibious assault ships of the Mistral class.
"I won’t say anything about the sum. I have no such information. That’s substantive, commercial information," he told the media.
Asked if France had already transferred the money for the undelivered ships Peskov advised the journalists to read again the statement the Kremlin’s press-service issued Wednesday evening.
France has already transferred the aforesaid money and after the return of the equipment it will acquire property rights and will be able to use both ships at its sole discretion, the statement said.
Peskov declined to comment in what way the money regained from France would be used.
"I cannot say anything at this point. Certainly, the country’s leadership will make a special decision on that score," he said.
Peskov asked the media to refrain from asking him about the details. However, he reaffirmed several times that Moscow regarded the problem as "fully settled."
The Kremlin spokesman does not know whether the achieved agreement needs ratification of that agreement by the French parliament.
"Both President Putin and President Hollande spoke highly of the friendly and constructive climate at the talks by experts that produced the long-sought agreement. It characterizes the general mood in Russian-French relations," Peskov said.
Russia-France Mistral dispute settled
On Wednesday, the Kremlin’s press-service said that the presidents of Russia and France had made a joint decision to discontinue the contract for the construction and delivery of two Mistral class amphibious assault ships, signed in June 2011.
"The president of Russia and the president of the French republic made a joint decision to terminate the contract for the construction and delivery of two amphibious assault helicopter carrying ships of the Mistral class, signed in June 2011," the press-service said.
"In the course of talks by experts, held in a constructive fashion traditional in Russian-French relations, a mutually acceptable agreement was achieved on compensating for Russia’s payment made under the contract and on the return of the Russian equipment and materials," the Kremlin said.
"Moscow believes the Mistral issue is fully settled," the statement runs.