There is no end in sight to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The United States and the European Union, among other countries, have imposed tough economic sanctions against Russia. These sanctions are putting incredible pressure on the country’s economy and will bring many of its industries to a halt.
Many companies also voluntarily decide to stop doing business with Russia. Some of the world’s leading technology companies were among the first to cut their ties with the country. Samsung has not yet taken a stand on this issue, but Ukraine is now pushing it to do so.
Samsung has not yet made a statement
Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who is also the country’s minister of digital transformation, has been writing letters to tech giants urging them to stop doing business with Russia. He also posts these letters on his official Twitter account.
So far, Fedorov has written to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta (Facebook) founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and more. Many companies have already taken a stand on this issue.
Apple has stopped selling its products through the Apple Store in Russia. It has no physical retail stores in the country. Earlier today, Microsoft confirmed that it would suspend all new sales of its products and services in Russia.
Samsung has been silent on this issue since the beginning of the conflict. With Apple taking its stand, industry watchers felt that this would force Samsung to respond as it stands alongside Apple as the leader in the mobile industry.
Fedorov wants Samsung to make a decision. In a letter to Jong Hee Khan, vice chairman and CEO of Samsung’s SET division, which includes the mobile business, Fedorov asks Samsung to “temporarily stop deliveries of services and products to Russia.” It also asks to block access to Samsung Pay, Galaxy Store and Samsung Shop.
The letter was posted on Twitter today, but there has been no response from Samsung yet. A Korean media report released earlier today quoted a Samsung Electronics spokesperson as saying that there is no official position from the company on the matter.
Many are keeping a close eye on what Samsung decides to do. As of 2021, the company accounted for 33.2% of the Russian mobile market, more than double that of Apple. Perhaps Samsung wants more clarity from the South Korean government before choosing a side. The country’s Department of Commerce, Industry and Energy has already said that consumer goods such as smartphones are exempt from the US export ban to Russia.
We have also reached out to Samsung for a statement regarding this and will update the information as soon as we hear back.
SAMSUNG UPDATE STATEMENT:
Our thoughts are with all those affected and our priority is to ensure the safety of all our employees and their families. We plan to actively support humanitarian efforts throughout the region, including assistance to refugees. To this end, we are donating $6 million, including $1 million for consumer electronics, as well as voluntary donations from our employees.
Due to current geopolitical events, deliveries to Russia have been suspended. We continue to actively monitor this complex situation to determine our next steps.
@Samsung, I urge you to take a step towards world peace! While Russian tanks and missiles are bombing kindergartens and hospitals in Ukraine, your cool equipment cannot be used by the Russians! pic.twitter.com/xjOInduclD
— Mikhail Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) March 4, 2022
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