US Bill Proposes 100% Tariff on India Over Russian Oil; Congress Seeks Government's Response
On Wednesday, July 15, 2026, the Indian National Congress party asked Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to clarify the government's position after a bipartisan group of US senators introduced a bill proposing 100% tariffs on imports from India and four other countries for continuing to purchase Russian oil.
The proposed legislation, initiated by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, targets India, China, Slovakia, Hungary, and Azerbaijan. It exempts 15 European countries that continue to import Russian gas, arguing that such imports account for only a small share of their energy needs and that they are reducing their dependence on Moscow.
Congress media and publicity department chairman Pawan Khera questioned the government's response to the development and said Mr. Goyal should explain its implications for India. “These are not House Democrats. These are Republican senators, backed by President Donald Trump, demanding 100% tariffs on India and four other countries for buying Russian oil,” Mr. Khera said in a post on X. He added that India was being “humiliated” by the threat of punitive tariffs for pursuing its energy interests.
If enacted, the legislation would mark the first instance of the US Congress explicitly authorising tariffs as a geopolitical instrument to penalise countries accused of financing another nation's war effort. India has continued to purchase Russian crude oil despite Western sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, citing its own energy security needs. The US has previously expressed concern but this bill represents the most aggressive legislative action yet.
The Congress party's demand for clarification comes amid a politically charged environment in India, with opposition parties criticising the government's foreign policy balancing act. Minister Goyal has not yet publicly responded.
