The U.S. is threatening to use sweeping export controls against key Russian industries if Moscow invades Ukraine, according to a senior administration official.
The threat, first reported by The Washington Post, broadens out the administration’s options for retaliating against Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has amassed at least 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s border, should an invasion occur.
the official said No final decisions have been made, but they would start high and stay high and maximize the pain to the Kremlin, adding that that the US is in discussion with allies on these actions.
The administration is considering exercising the foreign direct product rule to control exports to Russia of all microelectronics designed with US software or technology or produced using US equipment, the official told The Hill.
The rule could target Russia’s artificial intelligence, maritime, defense, and civilian aviation sectors, the official said or used broadly, such as targeting consumer electronics.
Using the export controls is attractive given that the U.S. is dominant in software, technology and equipment in microelectronics.
The Trump administration used the rule against Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, contributing to the company’s first annual revenue drop in 2021, according to The Post.
Russia’s mobilization of troops near Ukraine has sparked fears that Moscow may invade Ukraine, as when it annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
President Biden and his officials have threatened high economic costs on the Kremlin if troops cross the border.
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