The U.S. is threatening to impose sweeping export controls on key Russian industries if Moscow "invades" Ukraine, a senior administration official confirmed to The Hill.

The threat, first reported by The Washington Post, expands the administration's ability to retaliate against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Final decisions have not yet been made, but we will start at a high level and stay at a high level, hurting the Kremlin as much as possible," the official said, adding that the U.S. is discussing these actions with allies.

The administration is considering a direct foreign products rule to control exports to Russia of all microelectronics developed using U.S. software or technology or manufactured using U.S. equipment, the official said.

The rule could apply to Russia's artificial intelligence, maritime, defense and civil aviation sectors, or has been widely used, for example, for consumer electronics, the official said.

The use of export controls is attractive, given the U.S. dominance in software, technology and microelectronics equipment.

According to The Post, the Trump administration applied this rule against Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, which led to the company's first drop in annual revenue in 2021.

Separately, The New York Times reported that Biden is mulling sending several thousand troops as well as warships and aircraft to Eastern Europe and the Baltics.