Poland accuses Egypt of selling warships to Russia for $1

Poland’s defence minister has accused Egypt of selling two French-made Mistral warships to Russia for just $1.

Antoni Macierewicz accused Egypt of the sale during a parliamentary debate last week. Macierewicz later told reporters he was information of the sale “from good sources”, but did not reveal anything further.

“If Egypt would now withdraw from this operation, it would be a gain for world peace,” Macierewicz said, adding that it would also be a “good lesson for Russia”.

The claim was dismissed by the Russian military last week.

Russian Ministry of Defence spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov dismissed Macierewicz’s statements as “silliness” and “self-promotion”.

France had originally built the two ships for Russia, the sale of which was cancelled after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and instead sold to Egypt.

Macierewicz’s comment comes amid strained ties between Warsaw and Paris over Poland’s cancellation of a $3.5 billion deal to buy French-made military helicopters.