US President Donald Trump has given a green light to the bipartisan Russia Sanctions Bill which would give leverage against India, China, and Brazil to stop
them from purchasing Russian oil and punish the countries "fueling Putin's war machine". In a post on X, American Senator Lindsey Graham said that the move comes amid the backdrop of the ongoing peace negotiations for Ukraine and hinted that it would go for a bipartisan vote next week. "After a very productive meeting today with President Trump on a variety of issues, he greenlit the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that I have been working on for months with Senator Blumenthal and many others. This will be well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent. This bill will allow President Trump to punish those countries who buy cheap Russian oil fueling Putin's war machine. This bill would give President Trump tremendous leverage against countries like China, India and Brazil to incentivise them to stop buying the cheap Russian oil that provides the financing for Putin's bloodbath against Ukraine. I look forward to a strong bipartisan vote, hopefully as early as next week."
Sanctioning of Russia Act 2025: India to face higher tariffs?
As per the official website of US Congress, the bill titled "Sanctioning of Russia Act 2025" by Graham seeks to impose several provisions, which includes penalties on individuals and entities, including an increase of the rate of duty on all goods and services imported from Russia into the United States to at least 500% relative to the value of such goods and services.
This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met the members of the US delegation, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, where both sides discussed upon a diplomatic approach towards ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Also Read: Ego, Diplomacy and Power Plays: 5 Modi-Trump Moments That Shook India-US Ties In 2025
"I have a very good relationship with PM Modi, but he is not happy with me as India is paying high tariffs. But now they have reduced it very substantially, buying oil from Russia," Donald Trump said.
The tariffs, totalling 50%, were imposed due to India's significant purchases of Russian oil, which the US sees as supporting Russia's economy amid the Ukraine conflict. Trump has warned that Washington could further raise tariffs on Indian goods if New Delhi does not address US concerns over Russian oil imports.
(With agency inputs)
