Complex sentence: French foreign minister Laurent Fabius was considering cancelling the Russian deal for two "Mistral"-class ships in response to the Crimean referendum as the United States and European Union had imposed sanctions on Russian officials associated with the referendum.
Split into simpler sentences: French foreign minister Laurent Fabius was considering cancelling the Russian deal for two "Mistral"-class ships in response to the Crimean referendum. This came as the United States and European Union imposed sanctions on Russian officials associated with the referendum.