Electronics giant ASUS says shipments to Russia at 'standstill'

[TAIPEI] Taiwanese computer maker ASUS said on Monday (Mar14) that its shipments to Russia are at a "standstill" due to the war in Ukraine, days after a top Kyiv official called for the firm's withdrawal.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sparked global outrage, with governments piling on sanctions against the Kremlin and its allies, while companies have axed business ties.

A growing number of multinationals, from McDonald's to Adidas and Samsung, have fully or partially halted business in Russia. ASUS, headquartered in Taipei and one of the world's largest PC vendors, is the latest company to voice concerns over the spiralling conflict.

"(The Ukraine) situation - combined with complex challenges across supply chains, logistics and banking, plus other factors - has created an effective standstill of shipments to the Russian market," it said in a statement posted on Twitter.

"We hope that peace will be restored soon and timely humanitarian aid will reach everyone in distress," it added.

The tech company also said it will donate about US$1 million in aid to the Disaster Relief Foundation, a Taiwanese NGO raising funds for Ukraine.

It is unclear whether the pause in shipments was done purposely in solidarity with Ukraine, or was the result of the conflict and sanctions hindering operations.

The announcement comes days after Ukrainian vice-prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov published a letter to ASUS chairman Jonney Shih calling on the firm to "end any relationships" with Russia. "@ASUS, Russians have no moral right to use your brilliant technology! It's for peace, not for war!" he tweeted on Thursday.

Fedorov, who is also Ukraine's digital minister, has been on a tweeting spree since the conflict started, calling on multinational tech companies including Intel, Microsoft and PayPal to halt operations in Russia.

Taiwanese media on Monday cited analysts as saying Russia accounted for nearly 5 per cent of ASUS laptop shipments last year.

AFP