Highlights:
- Trump has “greenlit” a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill, according to Senator Lindsey Graham.
- The bill targets countries buying Russian oil, including India, China, and Brazil.
- India already faces cumulative US tariffs of 50 percent.
- New legislation could mandate tariffs of at least 500 per cent.
- The bill also expands visa bans, export controls, and asset-blocking sanctions.
President Donald Trump has intensified pressure on Russia and its global trade partners by approving a sweeping bipartisan sanctions bill that could dramatically raise tariffs on countries continuing to buy Russian oil. India, already facing steep US trade penalties, could see tariffs surge from 50 per cent to as high as 500 per cent if the bill becomes law.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham confirmed that Trump has given his approval to the proposed legislation, signaling a rapid push toward congressional action. “After a very productive meeting today with President Trump on a variety of issues, he greenlit the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill. I look forward to a strong bipartisan vote, hopefully as early as next week," Graham said.
According to the senator, the legislation is designed to significantly expand Washington’s leverage over Moscow by also targeting third countries that continue commercial engagement with Russia. Graham said the bill will "allow" Trump to "punish countries who buy cheap Russian oil fueling Putin's war machine".
India, China, and Brazil are expected to be among the countries under scrutiny, reflecting Trump’s earlier warnings to BRICS nations. India, in particular, has emerged as a major buyer of discounted Russian crude since the Ukraine war began, a move that has already drawn repeated criticism from Washington.
In August 2025, Trump announced an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods as a “penalty for India's purchase of Russian oil.” That measure came on top of a broader 25 percent tariff imposed earlier during Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” trade action, bringing the total levy on Indian imports to 50 percent. Brazil faces a similar tariff burden.
The proposed legislation, formally titled the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, outlines strict conditions under which individuals or countries can be sanctioned. These include refusing to negotiate a peace agreement with Ukraine, violating any negotiated peace deal, launching another invasion of Ukraine, or attempting to overthrow or undermine the Ukrainian government.
If a country is found in violation, the bill empowers—and in some cases compels—the US president to impose a wide range of penalties. These include visa bans, property-blocking sanctions by the Treasury Department, and export restrictions overseen by the Commerce Department on US-produced energy products destined for or transiting through Russia.
Most significantly for India, the bill states that Trump “must” impose tariffs of “at least 500 percent” on “all goods and services imported into the United States from countries that knowingly engage in the exchange of Russian-origin uranium and petroleum products".
Trump has recently hinted at further action against India. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he said, "Modi is a good guy. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy," adding that India trades with Russia and “we can raise tariffs on them very quickly.”
If passed, the bill could mark one of the most aggressive uses of trade policy in recent US history, dramatically reshaping economic ties with key global partners.
