“In full view of social media, Russia continues to arm, to train, to direct and to fight alongside separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, while conducting unconventional, hybrid tactics of disinformation, deception and intelligence operations. …Moscow’s actions – from holding a sham referendum and attempting to annex Crimea, to deploying thousands of heavy weapons and troops across the international border, to supporting a reign of violence through the separatists that it controls – these actions have threatened to set a new precedent on European soil whereby basic international principles are up for debate: That the borders and territorial integrity of a state cannot be changed by force. That it is the inherent right of citizens in a democracy to make their country’s decisions and determine their country’s future. That all members of the international community are bound by common rules and should face costs if they do not live up to the solemn commitments that they make.

“These principles transcend Ukraine. They transcend Europe. They are the fundamental rules that underpin the international order that together we have sought to build, sustain and as necessary adapt. In challenging them, Russia seeks to unravel our trans-Atlantic alliance, erode our unity, and pressure democracies into failure. …We stand together in our unwavering support for Ukraine – for its sovereignty, its territorial integrity, and its right as a free and democratic nation to pursue the path set by its own citizens and them alone. The crisis in Ukraine was manufactured by Russia and must be ended by Russia – by adhering to the full implementation of the Minsk agreements, upon which all sides agreed. Until then, we need to keep the sanctions in place and so keep the pressure on.”

– U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, in a speech on the U.S., Europe and NATO delivered on May 5 in Warsaw.