If France is saying that they will have a deal within a few weeks, then they are already pretty far along with someone about the vesels. I am thinking INdia. it would make a lot of sense. India already has marines. India would be interested in the helos Russia was already building for the vessels.Naval Today said:French Defense Minister Yves Le Drian has affirmed that France would find buyers for their two Mistral-class ships.
Russian military-technical cooperation sector has confirmed to TASS that they will start dismantling Russian technology from the French ships on Monday. Originally meant for Russia, the two Mistral-class vessels were built by STX France in Saint-Nazaire. France, however, suspended the delivery of ships due to Russia’s involvement in the Ukraine crisis.
Although there were talks and predictions about who would buy the two Mistrals, France was unable to engage in formal negotiations until the deal with Russia had been broken off. In early August, France reached an official agreement with Russia to cancel the contract.
Defense Minister Le Drian told Le Monde he is confident that France would complete the sale of the two ships within the next few weeks.
Some of the potential buyers mentioned were Egypt, India and Singapore.
Time will tell.