Ukraine-Russia war: Apple's Tim Cook reminds employees to not lose sight of humanity

Apple backed Ukraine in the ongoing conflict with Russia with some significant steps. First, the company said that it has limited services like Apple Pay in the region and said it is stopping “all exports into our sales channel” in Russia.

The company confirmed to BuzzFeed in a statement that it no longer supports Russian bank Novikombank leading to Apple Pay being pretty much dysfunctional for most Russian users. Russian users have reported that they have been facing issues while using Apple Pay to pay for items while overseas.

Apple has also made RT News and Sputnik News, two of Russia’s state-backed media houses, unavailable for download from the App Store outside Russia. It has also disabled traffic and live incidents on Apple Maps inside Ukraine as a safety and precautionary measure for citizens there.

Apple’s decision follows Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook requesting him to “stop supplying Apple services and products to the Russian Federation”.

Cook explained his point-of-view to his employees in a letter where he stressed how important it was for people around the world to “come together to advance the cause of peace” and how one cannot lose sight of humanity.

Here’s what the letter had to say:

I wanted to take a moment to address the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

I know I speak for everyone at Apple in expressing our concern for all of those affected by the violence. With each new image of families fleeing their homes and brave citizens fighting for their lives, we see how important it is for people around the world to come together to advance the cause of peace.

Apple is donating to humanitarian relief efforts and providing aid for the unfolding refugee crisis. We are also working with partners to assess what more we can do. I know that many of you are eager to find ways to support as well, and we want to help amplify the impact of your donations. Starting today, Apple will match your donations at a rate of 2:1 for eligible organizations, and we will make this retroactive for donations to those organizations since February 25. Please visit the Employee Giving Portal to learn more.

We are working to support our teams in Ukraine and across the region. In Ukraine, we have been in contact with every employee, assisting them and their families in any way we can. For our Ukrainian team members located outside of the country that may need support, please contact [redacted]. And for any employee who needs any support, please visit the People site for available resources.

As a company, we are taking additional actions as well. We have paused all product sales in Russia. Last week, we stopped all exports into our sales channel in the country. Apple Pay and other services have been limited. RT News and Sputnik News are no longer available for download from the App Store outside Russia. And we have disabled both traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps in Ukraine as a safety and precautionary measure for Ukrainian citizens.

We will continue to evaluate the situation and are in communication with relevant governments on the actions we are taking.

This moment calls for unity, it calls for courage, and it reminds us that we must never lose sight of the humanity we all share. In these difficult times, I take comfort in knowing that we are united in our commitment to each other, to our users, and to being a force for good in the world.

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