The Ukraine conflict is a war being fought on two vastly different scales: a war of inches on the front line and a war of miles in the diplomatic arena. The upcoming Alaska summit brings these two scales into sharp contrast.
On the ground, particularly in Donetsk, it is a war of inches. Soldiers fight and die for control of a single trench, a small village, or a few hundred meters of territory. Progress is measured in brutal, incremental gains and losses.
In the diplomatic arena, it is a war of miles. President Trump is talking about “swapping” vast territories and redrawing the map of Eastern Europe. The scale of the proposed political solutions is immense and feels disconnected from the gritty reality of the battlefield.
The challenge of the Alaska summit is to reconcile these two scales. Can a grand geopolitical bargain made at 30,000 feet be successfully applied to the war of inches on the ground? The answer will depend on whether the diplomats can craft a solution that is respected by the soldiers.
