From Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: The French daily “Le Monde” broke the news on February 9: Paris had “agreed in principle” to negotiate the sale of one or more Mistral-class ships to Russia…

NATO’s new Eastern allies along the Baltic Sea are also unsettled, however, and have taken their concerns not only to Paris but to Washington and NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Harri Tiido, the undersecretary for political affairs at the Estonian Foreign Ministry, tells RFE/RL that the Baltic states believe the sale of the Mistrals could undermine their security. “Definitely, it would not add to the security of the region. And I think the nations around the Baltic Sea in that case would have to see what they have to do to change their defense planning, maybe,” Tiido says. “But also, it could influence the defense planning of NATO.” (photo: RIA Novosti)