The Mistral Class deal with Russia , and in a major reversal today by the French Government, it looks like the delivery of Russia's new amphibious assault ships will be withheld due to that country's continued destabilizing involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.

comes as the EU considers much harsher sanctions against Russia if they continue their shadow war in eastern Ukraine. These new sanctions include, among other things,, which continues to be Russia's shining fiscal star out of an overall domestic economy that has hit the skids, the Additionally, these sanctions would also strip Russia of the right to host the 2018 World Cup, which would be seen as a huge setback on the international stage following Russia's hosting of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.

Going forward, it is not clear what Russia would have to do to be able to acquire these ships as planned, nor is it clear what type of penalties, if any, France will have to pay for not delivering the ships as promised. The choice to withhold these capital ships could also be partially a result of Russia's statement that they would and operational under the Russian naval flag.