National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday the U.S. planned to respond more forcefully than the Obama administration did in 2014, when Russia invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. 

Sullivan stated to reporters that he would look into President Putin’s eyes, and would tell him, just as President Biden did in 2014.

Sullivan stated, “In terms specifics, it would be preferable to communicate this directly to Russia, to negotiate in private, and not telegraph or telegraph our punches.” “But, we’re laying out in detail for the Russians the type of measures we’re thinking about.”  

Biden was Vice President in 2014, while Barack Obama sat at the Oval. The Obama administration attempted to make calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They also threatened sanctions against Moscow if it tried to annexe the Crimea. 

It did not work. 

Without wearing identification insignias Russian soldiers took over strategic positions and infrastructure on the Ukrainian territory, Crimea, February 2014.

President Barack Obama talks on the phone in the Oval Office with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation in Ukraine, March 1, 2014

Barack Obama speaks by telephone with Vladimir Putin, Russian President about Ukraine. March 1, 2014.

How did President Barack Obama stop it? 

Obama sent a message to Russia on February 28 warning them against any intervention in Crimea.

According to him, a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty or territorial integrity could be very destabilizing. It would also be incompatible with the interests of Russia, Ukraine and Europe. He stated that this would violate Russia’s agreement to respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, borders and international laws.

Obama called Putin on March 1st to discuss the Russian invasion. He stated that it was a violation… [and a]Breach of international law 

He warned about a greater political and economic isolation and threatened to pull the United States out of the G8 40th summit, which was presided over by Russia.

The Federation Council of the Russian Federation adopted unanimously a March resolution asking Putin to invoke military force against Ukraine. He did so to annexe the Crimea region.

On March 3, the Obama White House announced that the United States would not send a presidential delegation to the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, although the athletes did attend the games.

In March of this year, President Obama imposed economic sanctions against Russia. 

Crimea, a peninsula along the northern coast of the Black Sea in Eastern Europe, was claimed by Ukraine after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Russia annexed the territory after pro-Russian separatists intervened and Russian Armed Forces invaded. This was followed by the controversial Crimeawide referendum. Official results revealed that over 90% of Crimeans supported reunification.

Many loyal Ukrainians boycotted this vote. It was also declared illegal by Western governments, and the United Nations.  

On 18 March 2014, Russia officially annexed Crimea.

In April 2014, pro-Russian separatist rebels began to seize territory in the eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities launched an offensive against rebels at the beginning of July.

The rebels accidentally shot down a civil airliner carrying 298 civilians over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2017. Ukraine increased its defenses.

Russia escalated its support for rebels in mid-August to overtly invade with Russian military personnel. 

The then-Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko announced on 3 September that he had made a “permanent ceasefire” with Russian President Putin. In the Ukrainian presidential election 2019, Zolensky beat Poroshenko.

Russia denies that a cease-fire was reached. A separatist war rages in Ukraine’s East.

U.S intelligence officers have now determined that Russia has gathered about 70,000 troops close to its border with Ukraine. This action is being compared to Moscow’s 2014 actions.