Obama told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev "after my election I have more flexibility."
Medvedev replied that he would "transmit this information to Vladimir,"
Then, Obama did nothing about the annexation of Crimea or the Russian invasion of the Donbass region except to deny lethal weapons to Ukraine.
Yes, this is all provocation by Obama/Biden for an ulterior motive. The Ukrainian citizenry are not a factor to either of them.
Shades of April Glaspie and Saddam Hussein.