France to decide on Russian warship deal in November

France will wait until next month to decide whether to deliver the first of two Mistral helicopter carriers to Russia, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
French President Francois Hollande had for months resisted pressure from Washington and other allies to scrap the 1.2 billion euro ($1.58 billion) contract before choosing last month to push back the original end-October delivery date.
He said then that he would only hand over the first carrier - the Vladivostok - if there was a lasting ceasefire and a political settlement in Ukraine.
'The president ... said that if the political conditions did not change he did not envisage giving the authorisation for delivery,' Le Drian told reporters.