New Delhi: India could soon face renewed trade pressure from the United States as a bipartisan group of American senators prepares to introduce updated legislation targeting countries that continue purchasing Russian energy. The move comes amid rising geopolitical tensions, with global crude oil prices climbing after fresh hostilities between the United States and Iran and President Donald Trump’s declaration that the ceasefire with Tehran has ended.
Four senior US senators, Republicans Lindsey Graham and Roger Wicker, along with Democrats Richard Blumenthal and Jeanne Shaheen, announced that they had reached an agreement with the Trump administration to move forward an updated Russia sanctions bill. The lawmakers said the legislation is intended to intensify economic pressure on Moscow by targeting nations that continue importing Russian oil and natural gas, arguing that such purchases help finance Russia’s military operations.
The proposed Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 would impose steep American tariffs on goods and service exports from countries buying Russian origin oil, natural gas, uranium and petroleum products. An earlier version of the bill proposed a massive 500 percent tariff, a measure supporters described as one of the toughest economic penalties under consideration.
The legislation also includes a provision allowing the US President to grant a 180 day waiver if exempting a country is deemed to serve American national security interests. Reports indicate that the latest draft may soften some tariff provisions, although the final version has not yet been released.
India has been prominently mentioned by supporters of the proposal because of its continued imports of discounted Russian crude. Earlier, Senator Lindsey Graham warned that countries such as India and China could face consequences if they continued purchasing Russian energy.
The bill enjoys significant bipartisan backing, with 84 senators reportedly signing on as co sponsors. Although similar legislation has remained pending for more than a year, renewed support from the Trump administration has increased expectations that the measure could now advance through the US Congress, potentially creating fresh challenges for countries maintaining energy trade with Russia.
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