Nimrata Randhawa “Nikki” Haley, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, is the conscience of the country. At an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council called to address Russia’s unlawful seizure of three Ukrainian naval vessels, Haley did not mince words.

“What we witnessed this weekend is yet another reckless Russian escalation,” Haley said. “This is no way for a law-abiding, civilized nation to act. Impeding Ukraine’s lawful transit through the Kerch Strait is a violation under international law. It is an arrogant act that the international community must condemn and will never accept.” She said in her statement “reflects the concerns at the highest level of the American government.”

State Department is being too diplomatic

The rest of the State Department wasn’t nearly as direct as Haley. Spokesperson Heather Nauert said that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko “to discuss Russian aggression against Ukraine in the Black Sea.” She said the secretary reiterated the country’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, and agreed with Poroshenko’s belief in “the importance of Western nations remaining united in the face of Russian aggression.”

When the State Department released an official statement from Pompeo, later in the day, it was so couched in diplomatic niceties that it lacked any punch. While the headline—”Russia’s Dangerous Escalation in the Kerch Strait”—certainly seemed to convey the gravity of the situation, the rest of the statement failed to deliver.

The U.S. “expresses its deep concern” over the incident. Russia’s actions “represent a dangerous escalation and a violation of international law.” The statement said the U.S. “condemns” the action and called on Russia to return the boats and their crews. But it called on “both parties to exercise restraint and abide by their international obligations and commitments.”

Both parties? Ukraine was attacked, completely without provocation, by the Russian Coast Guard (not the Russian Navy as I wrote yesterday). Russia seized a tenth of its territory four years ago, and Kiev now faces a deadly Russian-financed insurgency in the eastern third of its territory. Russian missileers shot down a Malaysian civilian airliner over Ukrainian territory. But Ukraine should act with restraint? How much more restraint ought they show?

Now is the time to stand firmly beside Ukraine

Earlier this year, the U.S. rightfully provided Ukraine with lethal military aid that Congress had authorized years before, but the Obama administration declined to send. And earlier this month, Pompeo hosted Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin at the State Department. During this event, Pompeo stressed America’s “unwavering support for a democratic Ukraine.”

“That same spirit of courage and determination drives Ukrainians to continue to fight to uphold their national sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression,” Pompeo said. “Ukraine has no greater friend than the United States in this regard.”

But now we’re asking Ukraine to act with restraint after Russia has cut-off the port of Mariupol from the Black Sea. What did we think they might do? Launch an invasion? They can barely hold back the Donbass insurgency, let alone go toe-to-toe with the world’s fifth-largest army.

Which is why it’s so important to send the right message to Russia that the U.S. will not tolerate their aggression. Pompeo’s statement had most of the right words, but in my view it lacked the sense of outrage that Haley conveyed in her statement to the Security Council. The world is watching the American reaction to Russia, and only Haley is rising to the occasion. Short of moving an armored brigade combat team from Poland to Ukraine, there’s not much else the U.S. can do right now. Sanctions are already pretty tight. So Haley’s leadership on the world stage is crucial.

And right when the country needs her most, she’s heading back to the private sector, having announced her imminent departure in October. She’s been a public figure since her election to the South Carolina state legislature in 2004, and no one thinks this is her last turn on the world stage. I don’t begrudge her desire for some time out of the spotlight, but I hope she returns soon, for the sake of American legitimacy.

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Tom McCuin is a strategic communication consultant and retired Army Reserve Civil Affairs and Public Affairs officer whose career includes serving with the Malaysian Battle Group in Bosnia, two tours in Afghanistan, and three years in the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs in the Pentagon. When he’s not devouring political news, he enjoys sailboat racing and umpiring Little League games (except the ones his son plays in) in Alexandria, Va. Follow him on Twitter at @tommccuin