Acting wisely in the issue of Ukrainian military equipment in the Crimea after Putin announced its readiness to return, Ukraine can, at a minimum, force Russia to sit down at the negotiating table on the Crimea. As reported by the President, an economic expert of the "Maydan of Foreign Affairs" Foundation Yuriy Smelyansky said this in an exclusive comment to the correspondent of Ukrinform.

"I consider it permissible to consider the statement made on the possibility of returning the disfigured Ukrainian military equipment as a very thin" thread of the web ", with the help of which, if properly and accurately pulled for it, you can at least force Russia to sit at the negotiating table on the Crimea, Smelyansky noted.

In his opinion, Ukraine in this situation should be guided not so much by emotions as by the state approach.

According to the expert, in general, the views expressed by Ukrainian politicians on the return of Ukrainian military equipment seized by the Russians in Crimea can be divided into two categories: with an emotional-patriotic approach and with a state. At the same time, the bright, loud, emotional and patriotic comments of politicians and experts are perceived by society, four years after the war, as an aversion to everything that comes from the country-occupier and the aggressor country.

Nevertheless, according to Smeliansky, it is the state, prudent and logical approach that should make us think: why, in four years of the war, does the invader state the readiness of the return of the Ukrainian military equipment brought to the state of scrap?.

In his opinion, no matter what the aggressor country said today about the "once and for all solved Crimean question", in reality the occupation of the Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions weakened Russia and placed it in a very difficult situation.

"The negative impact of the economic crisis that began in Russia in 2012-2013 has intensified with the sanctions imposed on it and the amount of expenses that it is currently forced to spend on the Crimea, conducting military operations in the east of Ukraine and in Syria," Smelyansky believes..

As for the Ukrainian military equipment brought to the state of scrap metal by the invaders, it should be returned, exposing Russia to the difference in the cost of scrap metal and similar new equipment. "Ukraine should not abandon it.

However, the restoration of military equipment wiped out by the invaders will cost more than the acquisition of a new. It would be logical to take scrap metal, to estimate its cost, to calculate the difference between the cost of scrap metal and the cost of similar new military equipment and to show this difference to the Russians for a refund. Then apply with an action in the international court and use the current situation as one of the tools for compelling Russia to start negotiations on the Crimea, "the expert concluded..