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Trump will 'crush economy' of India, China, Brazil with tariffs over Russian oil import: US Senator
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi enter a hall for a family photo before a plenary session of the BRICS 2024 Summit in Kazan, Russia, October 23, 2024. File Image/Reuters
US Senator Lindsey Graham has said that President Donald Trump is preparing to slap hefty tariffs on nations continuing to buy Russian oil, with India, China, and Brazil in the crosshairs.
Speaking to Fox News, Graham stated that Trump intends to impose a 100 per cent tariff on oil-related imports from these countries in a bid to choke off revenue to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
'Trump is going to impose tariffs on people that buy Russian oil – China, India, and Brazil,' Graham said, pointing out that these three nations are responsible for nearly 80 per cent of Russia's crude exports, which he claims are funding Moscow's war effort in Ukraine.
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According to Graham, the move is part of Trump's broader strategy to hold countries accountable for indirectly supporting Russia's war machine. 'President Trump's going to put a 100 per cent tariff on all those countries, punishing them for helping Putin,' he said.
Graham said, 'You have played President Trump at your own peril. You made a major league mistake, and your economy is going to continue to be crushed. We're flowing weapons to Ukraine, so Ukraine will have the weapons to fight Putin back.'
Senator Lindsey Graham accused Vladimir Putin of attempting to rebuild the Soviet empire by forcefully seizing neighboring nations.
'Putin is trying to reclaim countries that are not his,' Graham said, adding that the Russian leader has shown blatant disregard for international agreements.
He pointed to Ukraine's decision in the mid-1990s to surrender over 1,700 nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances, including a commitment from Russia to respect its sovereignty.
'Putin shattered that promise,' Graham noted, calling it a betrayal of the post-Cold War order.
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