With Western powers coming to the conclusion that Ukraine has lost Crimea to Russia, the U.S. and its allies face few viable options and serious questions over future relations.
In ignoring U.S. President Barack Obama's Friday warning to keep out of Ukraine, Russia looks to be precipitating the greatest crisis in Russian-Western relations since at least the fall of the Berlin Wall.
How events play out in the next few days may well shape the geopolitical map for years to come.