US threatens to ban Russia from importing aircraft parts

The United States has included the possibility of banning Russia from importing aircraft parts should it invade Ukraine, a Biden administration official has told Reuters.

While Biden has previously threatened “strong economic and other measures” in case Russia continues to provoke its neighbour, US officials have yet to publicly outline any proposed measures. However, according to the source, unprecedented sanctions could hit the import of smartphones, aircraft and automotive parts, and other industrial materials.

The retaliatory measures would be based on Trump-era legislation which targeted Chinese electronics giant Huawei in which the US accused it of being a Chinese government proxy engaged in political and industrial espionage. Washington used the law to ban Huawei from importing any semiconductors regardless of the selling country. The decision was based on the assertion that any semiconductor produced in the world uses technology developed at some point in the US. Considering the size and reach of the US-based aerospace industry, the same argument could plausibly impact all aircraft parts sold to Russia by any other country.

If enacted, such sanctions would further jeopardise the production of civilian aircraft by UAC United Aircraft Corporation. In December 2020, the state-owned holding was listed by the US Department of Commerce as a military end-user. While this designation does not ban all sales, it necessitates all transactions to be pre-approved by the US authorities on a case-by-case basis. The designation also covers UAC subsidiaries, including Irkut (the manufacturer of SSJ 100/95 and MC-21-300 aircraft). Irkut has since confirmed that the sanctions would delay the certification of the MC-21-300.