It's funny watching Americans defending Ukraine's right to decide its own foreign policy. Because, I assure you, none of the United States' neighbours are allowed to have a fully independent foreign policy of their own.
Even recently, the United States forced Canada to detain an important Chinese businesswoman. It caused a diplomatic spat between China and Canada, one in which China retaliated by imprisoning Canadian citizens (on bogus charges) and sanctioning Canadian imports. Canada was used as fodder in order to advance American foreign policy interests (
the businesswoman was skirting American sanctions on Iran, sanctions which Canada doesn't even recognize). The Canadian court found no cause for extradition in the end, but damage was done.
If Mexico or Canada participated in Chinese wargames off the coast of California; allowed China to use their bases; and left NORAD, weakening American nuclear security in the process; would the United States not go a little ballistic (both figuratively and literally)? Like NATO, imagine that this alliance also provides intelligence-sharing and cybersecurity integration (
don't think for a moment that the United States doesn't deploy cyber attacks).
Training with China means using the same hardware, which means buying Chinese-made weapons, trucks, cars, bullet-proof vests, and aircraft instead of American. And if that meant losing X million American manufacturing jobs, I'd wonder whether even Bernie Sanders would rediscover the Monroe Doctrine.
Ukraine has earned its independence; of that there's absolutely no question. And even if it loses, the Ukrainian struggle will be remembered and glorified for a very long time. Russia has done a very, very bad thing. But it'd be nice if Americans showed a little more introspection before criticizing Russia for wanting its own sphere of influence.