Trump’s thumbs up for a bill to impose 500 per cent tariff on Indian imports over Russian oil
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A bill targeting China, India and Brazil has received US presidential assent, under which imports from these countries could face tariffs of up to 500 per cent over their trade links with Russia, which, according to US allegations, supplies them with key fuel revenues used to finance the war against Ukraine.
While it has been reported that China accounted for nearly half of Russia’s crude oil exports and India for close to 38 per cent, both countries feature prominently on the US list, even as Brazil ramped up its purchases of subsidised Russian oil following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The proposed legislation, known as the Sanctioning Russia Act, has been drafted by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham in collaboration with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, and it seeks to grant the US President sweeping authority to penalise countries that continue to engage with Russia’s energy sector despite existing Western sanctions, Al Jazeera reported.
Following what he described as a productive meeting, Graham said Trump had given the green light to the bipartisan bill, signalling strong executive backing for an escalation of economic pressure.
Under the bill, the US administration would be empowered to impose punitive tariffs on imports from countries that purchase Russian oil, with China, India and Brazil explicitly cited as key targets due to their substantial energy trade with Moscow.
Data cited by US lawmakers indicate that China accounted for nearly half of Russia’s crude oil exports in November, while India absorbed close to 38 per cent, making both countries central to Russia’s ability to sustain its oil revenues. Brazil, although a smaller buyer, sharply increased its imports of subsidised Russian oil after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, though those volumes have declined in recent months.
The renewed US push comes at a sensitive diplomatic moment, as Moscow and Kyiv remain engaged in negotiations brokered by Washington to explore a possible end to the nearly four-year conflict. At the same time, the Trump administration has, for the first time, backed European proposals for binding security guarantees for Ukraine, including post-war monitoring mechanisms and a European-led multinational force.
Russia has repeatedly rejected the idea of any deployment involving NATO member states in Ukraine, and it has yet to signal acceptance of such measures, while US lawmakers argue that additional economic leverage is necessary as Ukraine signals readiness for compromise and Moscow continues its military campaign.