While Obama is busy leading from behind on the golf course, France really seems to be manning up now that America is determined to take a back seat in global affairs. The latest is this big stiff middle finger to Putin issued by Hollande:
French President Francois Hollande on Wednesday explicitly evoked the cancellation and reimbursement of a frozen contract to sell Mistral helicopter carriers to Russia two days before meeting with Vladimir Putin.
Paris suspended the delivery of the warships last year after Europe decided to impose sanctions against Russia over the separatist conflict in neighboring Ukraine.“On the Mistrals, all options will be addressed,” Hollande told journalists after meeting Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Hollande and Putin are due to meet on Friday in Armenia.
“At the moment, as I have said, the Mistral delivery is not possible in the current context,” Hollande added.
By denying Russia the helicopter carriers it contracted to supply, France is gonna lose out on over $1.2 BILLION, and it has to pay whatever costs the Rooskies incurred by losing the contract. That’s a huge and gutsy move by our froggy friends, and I have to say I’m impressed.
Maybe we can start a $1.2 billion GoFundMe to thank the frogs?