Briefly

UNITED STATES

Pentagon halts missile shipments to Ukraine

The Pentagon has halted some shipments of air defense missiles and other precision munitions to Ukraine over concerns that US stockpiles are too low, two people familiar with the decision told Reuters on Tuesday. The White House confirmed the move in an email to AFP, saying the decision was made to "put America's interests first" following a Pentagon review of US military support to other countries. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry summoned the deputy chief of the US embassy in Kyiv, John Ginkel, on Wednesday and warned that any delays in US military aid to Ukraine would "encourage" Russia. The Kremlin welcomed the US move, saying the conflict would end sooner if fewer arms flowed to Ukraine.