A Russian admiral recently said the amphibious vessels which can carry 15 helicopters or 70 armored vehicles would have allowed Russia to complete its August 2008 invasion of Georgia in a matter of hours. It's turning heads for other reasons too. On Monday, Sarkozy confirmed that France was negotiating with Russia over the sale of four Mistral-class assault ships worth a total of about $2 billion the first deal of its kind between a NATO member and Moscow. (See pictures of Nicolas Sarkozy in London.) France is now eager to work with Russia on common security and economic interests and it doesn't want to hear any sniping or criticism from other countries, s'il vous plaît. Also gone is Sarkozy's former mocking of realpolitik as a political cop-out of cynical diplomats without principles. Gone are Sarkozy's early promises to make a respect of human rights and democracy central to all French foreign relations. There wasn't a whole lot for the Russian leader not to love.īut what's behind Sarkozy's Russophile display? Most observers agree that it marks a rapid acceleration of the pragmatism that has been steadily influencing French policy toward Moscow and that it's a signal that Paris is ready to interact with Russia without the usual qualifiers. After all, he virtually cinched an unprecedented military deal, bagged a significant gas contract and watched his French host, President Nicolas Sarkozy, dismiss American and European misgivings about his embrace of Moscow by treating Medvedev like his newest best friend forever. Follow Russian President Dmitri Medvedev wound up a three-day state visit to Paris on Wednesday, he had to be pleased with the results.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |