France will press ahead with a 1.2 billion-euro ($1.66 billion) contract to sell helicopter carriers to Russia because cancelling the deal would do more damage to Paris than to Moscow, Reuters quoted French diplomatic sources as saying on Monday. France has come under pressure from Washington and some European partners to reconsider its supply of high-tech military hardware to Moscow. However, French diplomatic sources said on Monday the 2011 contract with Russia for two Mistral helicopter carriers, with an option for two more, would not be part of a third round of sanctions against Moscow.
