The pause, announced on Monday, has gone into effect immediately and impacts hundreds of millions of dollars of weaponry in the process of being sent to Ukraine, The New York Times reported.

"If the United States stops (military supplies), this would probably be the best contribution to peace," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that it was a "solution which could really push the Kyiv regime to a peace process".

He added: "We will see how the situation on the ground evolves," stressing that the US had been Ukraine's main military supplier since Moscow launched its offensive in Ukraine in February 2023.