I... I'm not sure that putting boots on the ground will help if Russia is tossing nukes around. Assuming the nukes still work, of course, which is questionable given the state of the rest of their military.

But: air superiority would do a lot, and between that and cruise missile saturation, maybe no boots will be needed. Also, Ukraine targeting Russia's early warning systems does rather imply a set-up to prepare for air strikes.

Well, wait and see, I guess. My bet is that Ji made it clear to Putin that he was not allowed to employ nukes. That's not at all in China's interest, and Putin has to say, "yes, sir."