Alarmed at the speed and ease by which Russia grabbed Crimea from Ukraine, and the lack of success for diplomacy in dealing with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, U.S. and European officials found themselves emphasizing an old style of foreign policy on Wednesday - one which involves military might.
"Business as usual is not an option," said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in a Washington, D.C. speech, as he vowed that NATO would not stand idly by if Russia moved against a member of the North Atlantic alliance.
Labeling the Russian actions against Ukraine, a "wake up call," Rasmussen said "security in Europe cannot be taken for granted in the future."
"Our major concern now is whether he (Putin) will go beyond Crimea," said Rasmussen, who urged NATO countries to think more about their security after Crimea.
"It must be followed by more European investment in defense," the NATO chief told the audience.
Back in Eastern Europe, Vice President Biden wrapped up a visit to Eastern Europe by again talking about the resolve of the U.S. to protect allies in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
"President Obama wanted me to come personally to make it clear what you already know," the Vice President said while standing with the Latvian and Lithuanian leaders.
"We will respond to any aggression against a NATO ally," Biden said, emphasizing what he called our "mutual committment to collective defense."
It was a much different type of statement than one might have imagined just a few weeks ago, when few could conceive of Russian troops on the move and borders being redrawn in Eastern Europe.
"I don't think there's any question that relations between Russia and the West are not in a good place right now," said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.
And inside the Baltic nations, there was clearly some heartburn about the recent turn of events with Ukraine, and a gnawing feeling of the unknown when it comes to what Vladimir Putin might do next.
"Naturally we are concerned about the situation," emailed a ham radio colleague of mine in Estonia, which has a shared border with Russia like Ukraine.
That concern seemed legitimate a few hours later, when Reuters reported that Russia had raised questions to the United Nations about how Estonia dealt with its large ethinic Russian minority - a very familiar issue that Russia had emphasized in Ukraine.
Along with Poland, the Baltic nations have most aggressively sought to embrace the West and leave behind their past as a Soviet satellite, as Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have been members of NATO for almost ten years.
But if Russia wanted to stir up trouble - would the U.S. and Europe truly get into a shooting war with Moscow over those nations?
"We still believe that Putin attacking any of the NATO countries is a very remote chance," my friend in Estonia wrote.
"At the same time, anything can be expected from him," he concluded.
It was a jarring note, at a jarring time in Europe.
"We had thought that such behavior had been confined to history," said the NATO Secretary General.
"But it's back; and it's dangerous," Rasmussen concluded.
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