A top NATO commander warned that "continual attacks" against Ukraine were hampering Kiev's efforts to modernise its army enough to one day join the Western military alliance.
US President Barack Obama has described the loss of key Iraqi territory to Islamic State as a tactical setback, while insisting the war against the jihadist group is not being lost.
Kiev showed off two purported Russian soldiers it captured during a gun battle in the separatist east that Ukraine's pro-Western leadership says proves the Kremlin's direct involvement in the war.
Sweden will raise defence spending by 10.2 billion kronor for the period 2016 to 2020, the government said amid concerns over Russia's military resurgence.
Top Russian defence officials lashed out at the USA, accusing it of undermining global security by funding revolutions and expanding NATO in a bid to contain Russia.