France and Russia have reached agreement on the sale of four French warships to Russia.
The purchase of four Mistral-class helicopter carriers was finalised at the G8 summit in Deauville, France, and will be signed within a fortnight.
Two of the carriers will be built in France and the other two in Russia.
President Nicolas Sarkozy said the deal was evidence the Cold War was far in the past and Russia should be considered a friend.
The BBC reports the carriers are thought to cost between 400 - 500 million euros each ($US525 - $US655 million).
Negotiations began two years ago, but stalled on several occasions over price and technology transfer.
