Read the email Tim Cook sent to Apple employees about the Ukraine situation

Tim Cook Silicon Slopes Summit (Image credit: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)

What you need to know

Apple CEO Tim Cook has written to all employees to outline its actions on Ukraine.
Apple is matching donations at a rate of 2:1.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has sent an email to employees discussing the current Russian invasion of Ukraine and the steps the company is taking.

The email reiterated Apple's moves to stop selling products in Russia as well as confirming that the company will match donations at a ratio of 2:1.

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.

Cook went on to say that Apple is supporting its teams in Ukraine as well as Ukrainians who are working outside the country.

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 [email redacted]. And for any employee who needs any support, please visit the People site for available resources.

The full email can be read at The Verge and includes a mention of the removal of RT News and Sputnik News from international App Stores.

Ukraine continues to battle a Russian invasion that has already seen the aggressor sanctioned by countries around the world. Russia has been removed from various sporting events and Apple Pay support has already been ended for Russian banks.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.