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Welcome to The Adversarial. Every other week, we’ll provide you with expert analysis on America’s greatest challengers: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and jihadists. Read more below.***RussiaDespite a flurry of diplomatic activity — from an airbase in Alaska to the White House — the U.S. effort to end the war in Ukraine made little progress. On Aug. 15 in Anchorage, U.S. President Donald Trump literally rolled out the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin, apparently hoping that a warm welcome and the prospect of economic deals would entice Russia to make concessions. However, talks seemingly made little headway, ending early and without an agreement on a ceasefire. Three days later, in an effort to support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — and to avoid another contentious meeting between the Ukrainian and American presidents — seven European leaders joined Zelensky in a meeting with Trump. Those meetings went relatively smoothly. Trump put little pressure on Ukraine, and there was vague talk of security guarantees, with little clarity on what that might mean. The most significant outcome might be that European leaders — after months of grumbling about being cut out of earlier talks — have elbowed their way into the room where things are supposed to happen. Where this goes from here is now an open question, as the diplomatic ping pong looks set to continue, with both Moscow and Kyiv trying to blame the other side for the failure of talks. Meanwhile, Trump is trying to arrange a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, as well as a potential trilateral meeting that would include Trump.Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump meet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Image: Benjamin D Applebaum via Wikimedia Commons.IranIf there’s a theme running through Iran’s foreign policy moves in recent days, it’s damage control. The