The U.S. Department of Commerce had previously placed Russia under what it called the most comprehensive export controls ever imposed on a single country, cutting Russia off from exports of sensitive U.S. technologies such as semiconductors and microelectronics, computers and telecommunications equipment.
The department said it was also cutting Belarus off from those exports to prevent their diversion to Russia, through Minsk. The move is also intended to degrade the military capabilities of Belarus, which served as the staging ground for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to the department.
"Belarus' choice to enable Russia's horrific assault on the people of Ukraine has rightly drawn international condemnation. Today's action will significantly impair Belarus' ability to abet Russia's unjustifiable aggression," said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration Thea D. Rozman Kendler.
On the same day, the European Union approved new sanctions against 70% of Belarusian imports, including timber, steel and potassium, and the United Kingdom sanctioned senior officials in the Belarusian military.
The White House also announced new export controls against Russia covering oil and gas extraction equipment. The export curbs are intended to degrade Russia's status as a leading energy supplier over time, the White House said.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sent 800,000 Ukrainians fleeing and resulted in the death of 136 civilians, according to the United Nations. Amid the invasion, the U.S. and its top allies have cut Russia off from exports of sensitive technology and pummeled the Kremlin with sanctions that have effectively cut Russia off from Western financing.
The Russian ruble and stock markets have been plummeting and, in an effort to stem the flow of money leaving Russia, the Russian Central Bank has blocked foreign investors from selling Russian securities.
The U.S. and its allies continue to announce new economic measures each day that the invasion continues. However, they have been reluctant to outright sanction Russia's energy sector, which provides roughly 10% of the world's oil supply and more than a third of Europe's natural gas.
On Tuesday, the International Energy Agency, an intergovernmental organization created in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis to address disruptions to the global energy supply, released 60 million barrels of oil from its emergency reserves.
--Additional reporting by Daniel Wilson. Editing by Stephen Berg.
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