The Pentagon stopped a weapons delivery to Ukraine during its conflict with Russia, pointing to low stockpiles of specific munitions in the Defense Department arsenal. The halted delivery included critical air defense missiles that Ukraine has lobbied the United States for to protect against Russian aerial warfare.

The U.S. is halting some shipments of weapons to Ukraine amid concerns that its own stockpiles have declined too much, officials said 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.