Last week's European Council meeting in Brussels ended with a pledge that Ukraine will "remain a priority," but there are fissures, both political and logistical, in Kyiv's support.
“When it comes to the Russian VKS all you can say sometimes is ‘thank God for shoddy maintenance,’” a NATO-nation military aviation analyst told Breaking Defense.
With potential adversaries no longer predictable, training must move beyond just live exercises and flight simulators.
“We’re cognizant of the fact Russia is retaking a lot of positions that they used to have in the Arctic,” said Pål Jonson, Sweden's defense minister. “There is a degree of militarization…and we have to respond to that.”