French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian deferred any decision on whether to suspend the delivery of two Russian-ordered warships until October, according to dpa. France has faced growing questions over its 1.2-billion-euro (1.6-billion-dollar) deal to supply Russia with two helicopter carriers, one of which is named after the Crimean port of Sevastopol. The first of the vessels, the Vladivostok, took to the Atlantic for a test run earlier this month. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said France would consider suspending the contract as part of a "third level" of broad economic and military sanctions but Le Drian made clear it was a far-off prospect. "The delivery of the first ship takes place in October so the question of the possible suspension will arise in October," he said. In the meantime, he said, "construction continues."
