that we and the EU will have to use economic sanctions instead of military force in Crimea. The combined economic power of the U.S. and the EU will have an effect on an ailing Russia's economy.
Regarding you second point, the U.S. has little or no influence in Crimea and most people in Crimea have strong ties to Russia. For some reason, the Crimean people don't like the EU (and the U.S.) and will vote to become an independent state separate from the Ukraine. As the old saying goes: "There's more than one way to skin a cat" and economic sanctions with all of our EU partners is a preferable way to check mate Putin without any military threats. What's so controversial about that?
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