Saker Did A Good Write Up On Russian Ultimatum's Options.

He elaborated extensively on geopolitical ramifications and here is what caught my eye: 

I would argue that such an outcome goes directly against the interests of BOTH the USA and Russia.  And, most obviously, it goes totally against the interests of the people of Europe. But if the latter does nothing to prevent such an outcome, then it is for the USA and Russia to prevent it. And if the USA won’t prevent it, then Russia will deliver.

I say it constantly--one always has to play within its own league. This is what EU doesn't understand, especially such of its (and NATO) members as Poland and Baltic States. For people who follow UEFA Champions' League (or even Europa League) it is absolutely clear that even weakened Bayern Munich or Real Madrid (and all clubs go through ups and downs in their life cycle) when seeded in group stages with the clubs champions of Malta or Albania, you just know that unless some miracle happens, both Bayern and Real will have little problems qualifying. It is just the nature of the game. 

And like in this game, taken separately each of the EU's  big four (including for the sake of forensic experiment now non-EU UK) are not that big, really. Others, are even smaller and they are not in the league of truly big clubs in this geopolitical Champions' League and each time they will try to insert themselves into the playing field of geopolitical giants, not only they will look like that:

But they may achieve an absolutely incredible thing--they may piss off both competing teams, because they will interfere with the flow of the game and may even complicate things. No matter how cute they may look for a minute or two, in the end--the guys from the biggest league MUST continue their play per THEIR rules, and even rules which are established by, depending on the worldview of different people,  God, history, objective military-economic laws, or even Karma. So, the show must go on and the faster the EU understands that it is not the biggest league, the better it will be for them since none of them is a subject of geopolitics and history anymore and they wasted the moment when they could become members of this biggest league. This moment has passed. We all pay for our mistakes and self-awareness is a great virtue.