Bill Allowing 100 pc Tariff On India For Buying Russian Oil Advances In US Senate
“Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall, notwithstanding any other provision of law, increase the rate of duty for all goods imported into the United States from a country described in subsection (c) to a rate of up to 100 percent ad valorem,” said the bill
Chennai: The US Senate has advanced the Russia Sanctions Bill that allows US President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on the world's top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas, including India and China.
The bill is meant to impose sanctions on Russian officials, oligarchs, financial institutions and the so-called shadow fleet used to evade restrictions on Moscow's oil exports. It would also give Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on goods from major purchasers of Russian oil and gas, especially China and India.
“Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall, notwithstanding any other provision of law, increase the rate of duty for all goods imported into the United States from a country described in subsection (c) to a rate of up to 100 percent ad valorem,” said the bill.
The Act refers to countries which are among the 5 largest importers, by total volume of crude oil or natural gas that originated in the Russian Federation during the most recent 12-month period preceding the date of the enactment of this Act; or was among the top 5 countries facilitating Russian oil sanctions evasion during the most recent 8 12-month period preceding the date of the enactment of this Act, it said.
China, India, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan are the top importers of Russian oil.
“India is among the countries likely to fall under USTR review as one of the largest buyers of Russian energy, alongside China. Russia supplied 30.3% of India's crude oil imports in FY2026, making any future U.S. tariff decision a significant issue for India's energy security and trade policy,” said GTRI.
The bill received votes of nearly all Republicans and majority of Democrats to make it cross the 60-vote threshold. The legislation must pass the Senate and be approved by the House of Representative before it can head to the president's desk. The House has already left Washington for its summer recess and is unlikely to consider the bill before September.
“India should avoid recalibrating its policies in response to every new U.S. action. Decisions on crude oil imports must be driven by India's economic interests, energy security, and strategic autonomy—not by the threat of additional U.S. tariffs,” added GTRI.