France plans to go ahead with the sale of two warships to the Kremlin, even as the EU and U.S. strengthen sanctions on Russia amid continued fighting in Ukraine and the aftermath of the downed Malaysian airliner.
People in St. Nazaire, the port town where the boats are being built, agree: The contract with Moscow should be fulfilled, they say. Despite mounting international pressure, cancellation of the deal, they say, would be a bad move for business.
There's not much love for Russian President Vladimir Putin in France. But in St. Nazaire, the contract is more about preserving a way of life than anything else.
Shipbuilding has been a mainstay of the local economy since the 19th century. Today, the town — located where the Loire River empties into the Atlantic Ocean — is one of the world's top builders of massive cruise ships and ferries. To keep that place, people say contracts must be respected.
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