The Biden administration is considering banning tech exports to Russia as a way of targeting its strategic sectors if it invades Ukraine, a senior administration official said Tuesday.
The new export controls would be imposed in addition to sanctions and would have a similar, damaging effect, the official said. The administration will block Russia from obtaining U.S. software and technology in order to harm key economic sectors, such as artificial intelligence, aerospace and quantum computing, the official said.
The goal would be to deliberately target sectors that Russian President Vladimir Putin had championed as a way for Russia to diversify its economy beyond oil and gas.
Russia held military drills across its territory Tuesday amid concerns that it could invade Ukraine, as the news came as Russia held military drills across its territory. The administration official suggested that the U.S. and European Union are united in their position on imposing possible sanctions on Russia, describing them as unprecedented measures with massive consequences. The financial sanctions could be incredibly potent in ways that affect Putin's calculus, the official said.
Ahead of Russia's military exercises, the Pentagon placed 8,500 U.S. troops on heightened alert to assist in the defense of NATO allies. John Kirby, Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Monday that no decisions had been made yet to deploy forces from the United States at this time. A White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that any decision to deploy military forces would be made in coordination with NATO and other allies.
She said there was no intention or desire by the president to send troops to Ukraine.
When asked if a Russian invasion of Ukraine was imminent, Psaki said no one can get into the mind of President Putin or Russian leadership. She said that Russia's military build up at the Ukraine border and misinformation efforts are some of the reasons why our preferred path is diplomacy and we can't predict where the mind of President Putin is.
President Joe Biden spoke to European leaders Monday on a video call about joint efforts to deter Russian aggression. He said that they discussed preparations to impose severe economic costs on Russia and strengthen security on the eastern flank. A bipartisan congressional delegation left Tuesday for Ukraine, led by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y. chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. They will meet with representatives from the E.U.N., the NATO and the E.U. According to a preview of the trip, the trip will include Russian troops along Ukraine's border and in Belarus, and the U.S. allies in Brussels to discuss the security situation in Eastern Europe and the buildup of Russian troops along Ukraine's border. The lawmakers will meet with senior Ukrainian officials in Kyiv to discuss the security situation and strengthen U.S. support for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. Two classified briefings will be provided to congressional leadership aides and committee staff on the situation in Ukraine on Tuesday, Democratic aides said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. have both requested bipartisan briefings on the situation involving Russia and Ukraine next week. The lawmakers are currently on recess and home in their districts this week.
At a news briefing in Kentucky on Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. said he had spoken with the White House about the situation and that he was told that the administration's plans were prepared to take steps before an incursion and not afterwards. The administration seems to be moving in the right direction, he said.
The State Department said Americans in Ukraine should consider leaving the country over the weekend. Employees were ordered to leave and eligible family members were ordered to evacuate.