Mistral warship deal: France’s Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian yesterday said that his country would not deliver the two Mistral helicopter carriers it has built for Russia until there is a ceasefire in Ukraine and a political roadmap to peace has been drawn up. The two warships were due to be delivered last November but delivery was suspended indefinitely on account of Russia’s support for separatists in Eastern Ukraine. Last month, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov told Interfax that France must either hand over the carriers as it contracted to do or to return the € 1.2bn that Russia has already paid for them. The Moscow Times