PARIS, September 9. /ITAR-TASS/. France will make a decision on the delivery of Mistral-class helicopter-carriers to Russia in late October, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday.

“France's position on the issue is simple. The contract has been neither suspended, nor terminated. The current situation may be interpreted as a warning /to Russia/ and as a prediction of possible developments,” the minister said.

He reiterated French President Francois Hollande's statement that the implementation of the $1.6 billion contract will depend on the situation in eastern Ukraine.

Hollande told the NATO summit in Wales last week that a ceasefire and a political resolution of the Ukrainian crisis were the key conditions for the delivery of warships to Russia.

Before that France vowed to go ahead with the contract that was signed in 2011.