‘IT’S NOT JUST THE STUFF THAT MATTERS’: The inspiring fight that underdog Ukrainian troops have put up against Europe’s biggest, best-equipped army is the result of the concerted effort by the U.S. and its allies to train and equip the Ukrainian military in the years since Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, argue Pentagon and NATO officials.

“Eight years of training for Ukrainian armed forces has made an enormous difference in their battlefield competency, in their capability. And that wasn’t just the United States — U.K., the Canadians, and other allies were also involved in that,” said spokesman John Kirby at the Pentagon.