The United States enacted sanctions on Monday targeting Russia’s defense sector, restricting U.S. exports of “high-technology items” as part of a broader strategy to punish Moscow over the crisis in Ukraine.
The departments of State and Commerce have tightened their policies to deny export licenses and revoke existing ones for technologies that could benefit the Russian military, White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the sanctions were effective immediately and that the agency’s office that oversees defense trade controls will deny any pending application for export or re-export of the defense articles subject to the new measures under the U.S. Munitions List.
U.S. officials did not detail all of the technologies that will be denied to Russia, but a senior administration official said one area that will be affected is small electronic components.
“I can tell you in the area of microelectronics is one particular area,” the official said on a conference call with reporters under the condition of anonymity.
The official said there are “quite a few license applications pending,” including ones that have been on hold since March because of the turmoil in Ukraine.
“We are now in the process of going through them and really scrutinizing them to see which ones involve technology that the Russian defense industrial complex is in need of, and those are the ones that will be denied,” the official said.
Psaki said the State Department will also review existing licenses and cancel ones authorizing the transfer of the technology to Russia.
The Obama administration announced the sanctions after accusing Moscow of failing to live up to its end of an April 17 agreement struck by the United States, Russia and the European Union in Geneva aimed at de-escalating the tension in Ukraine. The European Union also announced new sanctions on Monday.
In addition to the defense sector restrictions, the Obama administration placed new sanctions on senior Russian officials and business leaders as well as more than a dozen companies. The Kremlin has denied meddling in Ukraine and accuses the West of fomenting instability in the former Soviet state.
U.S. officials said more sanctions could be enacted if Russia does not take steps to diffuse the crisis.
“The United States will continue to adjust its export licensing policies toward Russia, as warranted by Russia’s actions in Ukraine,” Psaki said.