More from the US now, and Joe Biden says he is worried Republican infighting could hurt Ukraine aid from Washington.

Congress was thrown into further chaos yesterday when speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted after a historic challenge to his leadership from his own party.

Now, a lengthy and messy battle is predicted to replace him, and there are fears the leadership fight could complicate efforts to secure additional aid for Ukraine.

Speaking in the last hour or so, Mr Biden promised to deliver a speech soon to set out why the US must stand firm in its support of Ukraine, but did not confirm when it would happen.

The US president also suggested there may be “another means” to provide support for Kyiv if Congress continues to stall.

US looks to have got around regulations over seized weapons

The US has managed to get around regulations which state how seized weapons should be dealt with, says Sky News’ US correspondent Mark Stone.

Responding to the news in a previous post that 1.1 million rounds of seized Iranian ammunition were sent to Ukraine earlier this week, he says the US had been seeking a legal route for the weapons to be transferred to Kyiv.

“Under UN regulations, weapons that are seized are supposed to be stored or destroyed somehow. The Americans seem to have got around that.”

The move is “symbolically significant” for the US as Iran has been supplying Russia with weapons, Stone explains, but he warns the wider story is that US funding for Ukraine is currently on hold.

“A spending bill passed at the weekend on Capitol Hill did not include funding for Ukraine. At the moment, American funding for Ukraine is on hold as a consequence of the meltdown. 

“It’s compounded further because of the ousting yesterday of the House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, who was an advocate for the funding of Ukraine.

“So two parallel stories here, but very interesting.”