Over the last several days, the United States has been responding to events as they unfold in the Ukraine. Now, throughout this crisis, we have been very clear about one fundamental principle: The Ukrainian people deserve the opportunity to determine their own future. Together with our European allies, we have urged an end to the violence and encouraged Ukrainians to pursue a course in which they have stabilized their country, forge a broad-based government, and move to elections this spring.

Odd, don’t you think? He puts up front not the Russian outrage (here just “events as they unfold”), but the fact that the United States “has been responding” to it—as if people might not know there had been any response unless he assured them that there had been one. Then he proceeds to explain what it was: “we have been very clear about one fundamental principle.” Wait a minute. So by “responding” he means words? Just being “very clear” in his explanation to the Russians of why invading their neighbor was very, very wrong of them? Apparently so, since the response also includes urging (“together with our European allies”) “an end to violence” and encouraging Ukraine to hold new elections.