SAINT-NAZAIRE, FRANCE - France will build at least two high-tech amphibious assault ships for the Russian navy, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced on Friday, on a visit to a western shipyard.

Russia has been negotiating with France to buy up to four Mistral-class helicopter carriers, despite concerns among Paris' NATO allies over the transfer of western naval technology to their former Cold War foe.

"With our Russian friends, you are going to build the two (ships)," Sarkozy told workers at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, referring to the French abbreviation for the 21,300-ton vessels. "We're still negotiating the contract, but the decision to go ahead is certain," the president added.