I’m not saying we retreat but I am saying that if we expect countries like Russia and China to respect our alliances then we have to respect theirs.
Right now we don’t have a moral leg to stand on if Russia were to start bombing Poland or some other country we’re allied with.
“if we expect countries like Russia and China to respect our alliances then we have to respect theirs.”
That fundamentally misunderstands the nature of power politics - it is not about respect, it is a forceful competition. The objective is to strengthen your position, and weaken your opponents. To do this, routine use is made of such tactics as mass misinformation campaigns and assassination - and in this case open warfare creating the largest refugee crisis since WWII and leveling cities.
Let’s face it, this is a dire military situation, not an embassy cocktail party.
If Russia could just bomb their way into Poland, they would. They often threaten to do so in Polish language media, but Lithuania and the Baltics.
They have a longstanding policy of expanding their influence through intimidation and military force (The Ukraine, Crimea, for current example). They are stopped by the credible threat of an unacceptable cost. The diplomatic talk is to try to gain some advantage in the power struggle - it is driven by the power dynamics, not the other way around.
Most countries, including Russia, are effectively run by mafias out for their personal profit. Putin is personally worth tens of billions of dollars, all gained through corruption and plunder. That is their main interest. Moral posturing is for public consumption, or to try to persuade opponents to change behavior.
Russia, more than almost any other country, pours an exceptional amount of resources into misinformation campaigns, a unique capability built over decades in the KGB. Lying is seen as a fundamental tool in gaining advantage.