Late last year, Clinton did tweet twice about ongoing Ukrainian protests, which she said she was watching “with alarm.” And at a speech in Florida last Wednesday, before tensions in the region escalated, Clinton advocated for a “unified Ukraine” and predicted Putin would “consolidate the position of Russia in eastern Ukraine.”

But since stepping down from her post as secretary of state last February, Clinton has shown caution in choosing what and when to respond to unfolding national security developments. In the months that followed, Gen. Abdel Fatah al-Sisi assumed control of Egypt; President Obama pushed for military intervention in Syria; and negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program began, subsequently launching a sanctions debate on Capitol Hill.

Clinton’s twin status as a possible presidential candidate and a onetime cabinet member of the current administration has created a tenuous political balancing act.