KYIV, Jan 12 - The Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies (CACDS) sees a proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin to transfer Ukrainian weapons and military hardware from occupied Crimea as political trick ahead of the upcoming tightening of U.S. sanctions.

The Ukrainian analytical center said in an official statement on Friday that the upcoming introduction of new U.S. sanctions against members of the ruling class in Russia obliges the Kremlin "to demonstrate readiness to soften its position on Ukraine."