This whole thing is not looking good.
The counter is to knock them off their plan like JFK did. You have to sucker punch them out of left field - something they would have never even envisioned in a bad dream!
For example; recall the ambassador, caution foreigners to leave Russian and that there is the potential for a state of war to exist, and go to Def con 2; and for grins, reinstitute the old SAC 24 hour bomber flights to the Russian northern border.
Then look into Putin's eyes and tell me what you see!