by Steve Holland
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (Reuters) – The administration of US President Joe Biden plans to institute strict controls on exports to Russia in a bid to disrupt the Russian economy if Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to invade Russia. Ukraine, a US representative told Reuters on Tuesday.
These measures, which are to be discussed in the White House day at a meeting of senior officials, would come in addition to the economic sanctions that Washington says it is prepared to impose against Russia in the event of an offensive against Ukraine, while Moscow has deployed tens of thousands of troops along the Ukrainian border.
In a virtual interview earlier this month, Joe Biden warned Vladimir Putin that unprecedented economic measures would be taken against Russia in the event of a military escalation against Ukraine. The Kremlin denies any plan to invade and ensures that Russian troops are present for defensive purposes.
According to the American representative, speaking on condition of anonymity, the White House is discussing in particular “extraordinary” export control measures which could dry up entire sections of Russian technological sectors.
These measures could hamper Russia’s ability to import smartphones, critical parts for aviation and automobiles, as well as materials from many other sectors, the representative said.
The impact could be resounding for Russian consumers, industrial operations and jobs, he added.
These would be unprecedented measures against Russia, according to the source. Their possible implementation would be through tools used by the administration of former President Donald Trump, then by the Biden administration, to prevent the Chinese telecom glove Huawei from acquiring advanced semiconductors.
Washington plans to conduct close consultations with partners in Europe and Asia that may be affected by these measures and encourage them to coordinate efforts where appropriate.
(Report Steve Holland; French version Jean Terzian)