Trump backs new Russia sanctions bill that could place 500% tariff on India
'I'm looking. It's totally at my option. They pass it totally at my option, and to terminate totally at my option. And I'm looking at it very strongly,' said Trump on Tuesday to reporters during a Cabinet meeting. The American leader also expressed mounting frustration at Russia's Putin for refusing to end the conflict with Ukraine. Trump recently directed the America's Defence Department to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine.
The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 was introduced in the US Senate in April this year by Senator Lindsey Graham, a close political ally of President Trump. The bill proposes steep 500% American tariffs on goods and services exports from countries that purchase Russian-origin oil, natural gas, uranium and petroleum products. It also pushes for expanded sanctions against Russian businesses, government institutions and top policymakers.
Senator Graham, who is steering the bill through Congress, has said the bill will target countries like India and China.
'I've got 84 co-sponsors for a Russian sanctions bill that is an economic bunker buster against China, India, and Russia for Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine. I think that bill's going to pass,' Graham said in a television interview in June.
With President Trump's backing, the bill could move fast. Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said there was 'a lot of interest' in the new Russia sanctions bill and said more announcements could be made later this week.
The proposed bill allows the President of the United States to issue a one-time waiver of 180 days to a particular country in case ' the President determines that such a waiver is in the national security interests of the United States'. According to reports in the American media, the bill is being changed to allow the President to issue a waiver a second time.
India was the second largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in May , according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. It estimated that India purchased fossil fuels worth €4.2 billion from Russia in May, with crude oil amounting to 72% of the total.
India is closely tracking the bill and the Indian Embassy is in touch with Senator Graham regarding the bill, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during his visit to Washington earlier this month.
'Regarding Senator Lindsey Graham's bill, obviously, any development, which is happening in the US Congress is of interest to us, if it impacts our interest or could impact our interest. So we have been in touch with Senator Graham. The embassy and the ambassador have been in touch. I think our concerns and our interests on energy security have been made conversant to him, so we'll then have to cross that bridge if we come to it,' Jaishankar told reporters in Washington.
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