A top Ukrainian government official is pleading with Apple CEO Tim Cook to bar Russia from using the company’s products and services – including the App Store – following its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
In a letter addressed to Cook, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Apple should join the expanding international push to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into ending hostilities through economic penalties – adding technology was “perhaps the best answer” to military aggression.
Fedorov, who is also Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation, argued that barring Russia from using Apple’s products would help to “protect Ukraine, Europe and, finally, the entire democratic world from bloody authoritarian aggression.”
“We are sure that such actions will motivate youth and active population of Russia to proactively stop the disgraceful military aggression,” Federov wrote.
Some major tech firms have also taken action against Russia following the invasion, which has already displaced more than 500,000 people, according to United Nations estimates. Facebook parent Meta and YouTube have demonetized Russia’s state-sponsored media outlets on their platforms during the conflict.
Apple did not immediately return a request for comment on the request on Fedorov’s letter.
Cook has yet to publicly respond to the request, though he did express sorrow about the Ukraine conflict on his Twitter account last week.
“I am deeply concerned with the situation in Ukraine,” Cook tweeted. “We’re doing all we can for our teams there and will be supporting local humanitarian efforts. I am thinking of the people who are right now in harm’s way and joining all those calling for peace.”
Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine despite international warnings also prompted a wave of crippling economic sanctions, including US measures targeting Russian banks and exports as well as a move to eject some of the country’s financial institutions from the SWIFT banking system.