The Pentagon has halted some shipments of air defense missiles and other precision munitions to Ukraine over concerns that U.S. stockpiles are too low, two people familiar with the decision said on Tuesday.

The US has halted some weapons shipments to Kyiv, the White House has said, as Russia's war against Ukraine has intensified. The decision was taken "to put America's interests first" and followed a Department of Defense review of US "military support and assistance to other countries", White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said on Tuesday.

The move "was made to put America’s interests first," a White House spokeswoman said, as U.S. munitions have been depleted in recent years.