Kumar Bahukhandi
US President Donald Trump with Prime Minister Narendra Modi (AFP file image)
India has so far resisted Western pressure to curb its purchases of discounted Russian crude, which have surged since 2022 and now account for a significant share of its oil imports
Washington DC: A bipartisan group of US senators has unveiled a long-awaited bill imposing sweeping sanctions on Russia, naming India among five countries that could face tariffs for continuing to buy Russian oil.
The legislation, dubbed by some colleagues the “Lindsey Graham Russia Accountability Bill,” was formally announced on Capitol Hill on Tuesday by Senators Richard Blumenthal and Jeanne Shaheen, along with Republicans Roger Wicker, Katie Britt and more than a dozen other lawmakers from both parties.
It comes promptly after the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, who spent nearly two years negotiating the measure and whom colleagues repeatedly credited as its driving force.
Senator Blumenthal, the lead Democratic sponsor, said the bill goes far beyond tariffs, imposing full blocking sanctions on large parts of Russia’s economy, its energy and financial sectors, its defence industry, oligarchs and businesspeople, and Russian President Vladimir Putin himself.
Separately, the bill authorises the administration to impose tariffs set at a rate above zero but capped well below full value on countries identified as the largest buyers of Russian oil.
Blumenthal named five: China, India, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan.
A related provision targets buyers of Russian natural gas, though it exempts countries importing less than 15 per cent of their gas from Russia if they are already reducing purchases, a carve-out that shields most European allies.
Senators were clear that the actual rate has not been decided and will be set by the US Trade Representative, not fixed in the bill itself.
Blumenthal said he expected it would be set high enough “to discourage strongly China, India, and other major purchasers of Russian oil and gas,” but declined to give a figure.
The bill also includes waiver authority, along with reporting requirements to Congress if tariffs are later lowered.
Senator James Risch, chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he had pushed for a separate provision cracking down on Russia’s “shadow fleet” tankers used to evade existing sanctions and keep exporting oil.
Lawmakers stressed the bill has been significantly narrowed from earlier versions, which reportedly could have applied tariffs to as many as 63 countries.
Blumenthal said the current draft focuses on a “very discreet number” of five oil and five gas buyers, with some overlap, a change he said reflected input from the Trump administration, which he said has now endorsed the bill in writing.
Senators said they hoped the redesign would win over House Democrats who had criticised the bill’s broader, earlier version. The announcement carried an emotional undertone, with senator after senator invoking Graham’s memory. Senator Wicker, who served alongside Graham for over three decades, called it “Lindsey Graham’s greatest achievement.
” Senator Ted Cruz said Graham had personally negotiated the bill’s terms directly with President Trump before his death and urged colleagues to honour him by passing it “overwhelmingly”.
Senators argued the bill’s timing is urgent, pointing to what they described as Ukrainian battlefield gains and continuing Russian strikes on civilian areas.
Several said they expect the Senate could act before the end of August, and that they had received assurances from the Senate Majority Leader that a vote will proceed once sufficient support is secured.
Asked about President Trump’s suggestion that sanctions on Iran or Hezbollah could be added to the bill, Blumenthal said senators would prefer to move the current text forward rather than reopen negotiations, though he did not rule out separate legislation later. India has so far resisted
Western pressure to curb its purchases of discounted Russian crude, which have surged since 2022 and now account for a significant share of its oil imports. New Delhi has previously defended the trade as a matter of energy security and consumer affordability, arguing it also helps keep global oil prices stable.
The bill must still clear procedural hurdles in the Senate and pass the House of Representatives before reaching President Trump’s desk. Earlier, a White House official told ANI that the Trump administration has signalled its backing for the sweeping Russia sanctions bill.
Responding to a query from ANI on whether Trump would support the bill and whether India could face fresh penalties for buying Russian crude, a White House official said: “President Trump supports the bill.”
The legislation would give Trump the authority to impose a tariff of up to 500 per cent on imports from countries doing business with Russia’s energy sector.
( Source : ANI )
