If you accept the Ukraine/World War I analogy, the part of America is being played by China, which is tilting towards and providing valuable assistance to Russia, but not actively participating in the war. Could that change? Could China save Putin’s bacon in the same way America helped win the war in 1918?
The Chinese have every reason to maintain their current posture of bogus neutrality, but if it looks like Putin is going to be humiliated, you can imagine them providing him with weapons and ammunition. They won’t provide troops, as there will be no 2023 equivalent of unrestricted submarine warfare against China, but they will do whatever they can to keep the Axis of Autocracy intact, since they lack reliable friends elsewhere. Anyone hoping for a complete victory for the Ukrainians needs to keep that in mind.