But this is superpower geopolitics we're talking about, and the will of the people is of scant importance.
Ukraine's only hope for remaning intact and free is for the opposition movement to take the reigns of the government by popular acclamation. A "negotiated settlement" with Kuchma/Putin will almost certainly lead to the partition of the Ukraine into a Russian east and a free European west.
I understand that you are just tying to be realistic. I'm not suggesting we start WWIII over this, but we need to back the Ukrainian people in every way we can. We should use as much economic leverage as we possibly can against Russia. Your comment about the Freedom Fries movement was right on point in my opinion. France is a major pain in the a$$, but they are not a major threat like Russia. France and Germany are also not the entire EU, although they are the two most influential members. Russia is still a very powerful country with a lot of nuclear weapons. And the Russians seem to be moving away from democratic government. I'm not suggesting we do whatever the EU wants, but in this situation it suits to support them. I think it is smart for The U.S. to try to play both sides, but all in all the EU shares more of our common goals.