Trump backs bill slapping 500pc duty on India, allies
NN Desk :
US President Donald Trump has backed a bipartisan bill that would allow Washington to impose tariffs of at least 500 percent on India and China over their imports of Russian oil, as part of efforts to pressure Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
The proposed legislation, titled the Sanctioning of Russia Act 2025, is designed to restrict Russia’s energy revenue by targeting countries that continue to import Russian oil, gas or uranium.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who co-sponsored the bill with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, said the measure would give the US president authority to penalise such countries, Hindustan Times reports.
“This bill will allow President Trump to punish those countries who buy cheap Russian oil fuelling Putin’s war machine,” Graham wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Under the bill, the US president would be required to determine every 90 days whether Russia is refusing to negotiate a peace agreement or has violated one. A negative determination would trigger mandatory sanctions, reports bdnews24.com
One of the bill’s key provisions mandates tariffs of at least 500 percent on goods from any country that knowingly imports Russian oil, gas or uranium. The legislation also proposes secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions and entities that facilitate transactions linked to Russia’s energy sector.
Other measures outlined in the bill include blocking the assets of Russian officials and oligarchs, banning Russian stocks from US exchanges and prohibiting US investment in Russia’s energy industry.
India has increased purchases of Russian crude since the Ukraine war began in 2022 amid Western sanctions on Moscow. More recent data, however, indicates a decline.
According to energy tracker Keplr, India’s imports of Russian oil fell to a three-year low of around 1.2 million barrels per day in December, down from a peak of about 2 million barrels per day in June 2024. Reliance Industries Ltd has said it does not expect Russian oil deliveries in January.
Trump has previously criticised India’s tariff regime and its purchases of Russian oil, saying New Delhi reduced such imports after he expressed dissatisfaction.
India has rejected Trump’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him the country would stop buying Russian oil, stating that no such assurance was given.
If enacted, the bill would expand the scope of US sanctions linked to the Ukraine war by placing economic pressure on countries engaged in energy trade with Russia.