Russia has reached a compensation deal with France for the non-delivery of two Mistral warships, a Kremlin aide has said, but Paris today denied that a final agreement has been hammered out.
The fate of the two Mistral helicopter carriers has plagued Franco-Russian ties for more than a year, following Paris' decision in November to put the 1.2-billion-euro (USD 1.3-billion) deal on ice as the West slapped sanctions on Moscow over its annexation of Crimea and alleged backing for separatist rebels in Ukraine.
"The negotiations are completely finished, everything has already been decided, both the time-frame and the amount," President Vladimir Putin's adviser for military and technical cooperation, Vladimir Kozhin, told state news agency RIA Novosti on Thursday evening.
"I hope we will sign the agreement on the termination of the contract as soon as possible," he added.
But Hollande said Friday that a deal had not yet been reached, telling a press conference: "Discussions are underway. I will make a decision in the coming weeks."
Hollande said earlier this year that the conditions for the delivery were "still not right" and suggested that only the full implementation of a tenuous ceasefire in eastern Ukraine could make Paris revisit the situation.
The first ship was due for delivery in 2014, while the second was to be delivered this year.
