Immediately after Russian action in Ukraine began it was raining sharp condemnations. Russia was condemned by the EU as well as all member states, some sharper than others. Poland and Romania immediately sent its troops in, Britain and France also announced participation in a European force to contain the Russian bear. There was also a softer condemnation of the initial Russian military action, followed by calls for restraint and later sharp condemnation of the Russian push into Eastern Ukraine. The White House was remarkably careful with its words. It chose not to use the words 'aggression' or 'invasion' at this stage. Since the inauguration of Donald J. Trump in 2017 the US has slowly been taking its hands off the world policing thing and rebuilt ties with Russia, and the subsequent deafening silence that had lasted for nearly three days was felt as a betrayal in Kiev, Warsaw, London and Paris. But in the afternoon of April 5th 2018, 4PM EST and 11 in the afternoon Ukrainian time, all doubt was cast aside. In the White House Cross Hall, Donald Trump walked up to the stage and addressed the nation.

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/z75pj3C.jpg[/img]
[i]President Trump, shown here at CPAC 2017, was criticized for his lack of action on Ukraine in the first days of the conflict[/i][/CENTER]

[i]"My fellow Americans,

Over the course of the past few days we have been witness to a transnational dispute escalating in a way we have not seen since in the western world since the end of the second world war. We are again seeing the use of overwhelming violence to resolve a dispute that could not be dispute by fair negotiation. This has happened early in the year when the Ukrainian government unfroze the conflict in the east of its country, and with the Russian Federation's troops defending the seccessionist entities there after a Ukrainian aircraft attacked Russian troops on exercise, inside Russia.

The United States had hoped that in the early days, facilitating direct negotiation between Moscow and Kiev could bring about a quick end to the escalating situation. Our hopes at a quick resolution were crushed, as neither party wished to enter in meaningful negotiations, nor accepted a mediator. While it seems we have been silent and waiting what would happen, I can assure you that we have done our best to stop this huge disaster in its tracks. I can also assure you that we are not going to stop doing that. We are going to try our damndest to not only create a ceasefire, but also resolve the frozen conflict in Ukraine so that peace and stability may return to the European continent, and freedom and democracy will not be die in a blaze of gunfire. But in order to achieve results, we must deal from a position of strength which we currently don't have. We need to make sure that we do. To achieve that, I have ordered that a force of 200,000 American troops be sent to Ukraine, Poland, and Romania. Furthermore, the delivery of military goods of all sorts to our European allies in this conflict is to be prioritized and accelerated. 

Let me make absolutely clear that our troops will not serve in any combat purpose. Our troops will be present not to fight a war, but to prevent one from escalating. They will enter a combat role, however, when the Russians enter into western Ukraine which we have defined clearly to the Kremlin. We are going to continue negotiating with and mediating between Moscow and Kiev, and we are not going to allow a cage match conflict to set the precedent for the world in the 21st century.

I would like to assure all Americans, and all the people of the world, that it is not our intention, or desire, to directly enter this conflict in any way - let alone a nuclear one. We are certain there is a diplomatic way out, and as soon as it is found we will leave. We will not take Ukraine by the hand for over a decade as we have done beforewith disastrous results.

Thank you, and God bless America"[/i]