The Biden administration issued a new forceful warning to Russia on penalties it might face if it goes ahead with threats to invade Ukraine on Saturday.
U.S. officials have raised the possibility of incremental shifts in decisions about America's future strategic posture in Europe. They said Russia would be hit with debilitating sanctions if it intervenes in Ukraine.
The administration will be open to discussions with Russia about curtailing possible deployments of offensive missiles in Ukraine and putting limits on U.S. and NATO military exercises in eastern Europe, according to the officials.
They said Russia will be hit hard with economic sanctions if it intervenes in Ukraine. In addition to the direct sanctions on Russian entities, the penalties could include restrictions on products exported from the U.S. to Russia and potentially foreign-made products subject to U.S. jurisdiction.
The comments came as senior U.S. and Russian officials prepare to meet in Switzerland on Monday amid heightened tensions over Ukraine.
The U.S. is willing to discuss certain aspects of its European security posture in the talks, according to the officials. They stressed that no decisions would be made without the consent of Ukraine or NATO, and that any agreements would be contingent on Russia removing threats to Ukraine.
They said that there is no chance that the U.S. will reduce its military presence or arsenal in Eastern Europe, as Russia has demanded.
The comments, made to reporters on condition of anonymity in a White House telephone conference call, were the first to suggest a willingness to compromise on issues tangential to Ukraine, accompanied by threats for Russian inaction on U.S. demands to step back.
In the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, we in coordination with our allies and partners would immediately impose severe and overwhelming costs on Russia's economy, including its financial system and sectors critical to the Kremlin, a Russian official said.
The US and its allies are considering banning the export of advanced electronic components, software and related technology that uses American equipment in Russia, in addition to sanctions on energy and consumer goods. Russia could be added to the most restrictive group of countries for export control purposes, along with Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria, officials said.
Russia's ability to obtain integrated circuits, and products containing integrated circuits, would be severely restricted because of the global dominance of U.S. software, technology and equipment in this sector. The impact could extend to aircraft avionics, machine tools, smartphones, game consoles, tablets and televisions.
Such sanctions could also target critical Russian industry, including its defense and civil aviation sectors, which would hit Russia's high-tech ambitions, whether in artificial intelligence or quantum computing.
U.S. officials have not issued ultimatums to Russia, while at the same time demanding that threats to Ukraine cease. But they have flatly rejected Russian demands that NATO will not expand eastward and that the U.S. will remove troops and weapons from eastern Europe.
The U.S. and NATO have signaled a willingness to explore compromises on related issues despite that stance.
"We think we can at least look at the possibility of making progress with the Russians," a Russian official said Saturday ahead of the Monday Strategic and Security Dialogue between the U.S. and Russia in Geneva. He added that there will be no firm commitments made in these talks. The meeting will be followed by discussions between Russia and NATO members on Wednesday and with a wider European audience on Thursday.