US Senators Propose 100% Tariffs on India, China for Russian Oil Purchases

A bipartisan group of US senators has unveiled a bill that would impose 100% tariffs on five countries, including India and China, for purchasing oil from Russia. The bill, introduced as a tribute to the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, aims to penalize nations that continue to buy Russian energy amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The proposed legislation targets India, China, Slovakia, Hungary, and Azerbaijan. It exempts 15 European nations that also purchase Russian gas, arguing that their imports represent a small fraction of their total energy needs and that these countries are actively reducing dependence on Moscow.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut described the bill as imposing “full blocking sanctions on wide swaths of the Russian economy, including its energy industry, financial industry, defence industrial base, oligarchs, business people, and Vladimir Putin himself.” Speaking to reporters on July 14, 2026, Blumenthal said the tariffs are “targeted: narrowly limited to the five major purchasers – up to 100% – with waiver authority that is narrowly tailored and constricted.”

If passed, this would mark the first time the US Congress explicitly authorises tariffs as a geopolitical weapon aimed at punishing countries that finance another nation's war effort. An earlier version of the bill had proposed 500% tariffs on purchasers of Russian oil and gas.

Blumenthal emphasised that European allies are not targeted. “It is very important to understand that we have so narrowly crafted and tailored and targeted this bill to aim at the major purchaser of Russian oil and gas,” he said.

The bill was presented at a press conference on Capitol Hill, where Republican and Democratic senators stood together to honour Graham, who passed away on July 12, 2026. Senator Katie Britt, a Republican from Alabama, said Graham had worked “tirelessly, relentlessly” to bring the measure together, believing it would become the most consequential legislation of his career. Senator Roger Wicker described the bill as Graham’s greatest achievement in preserving peace in Europe. Senator Jeanne Shaheen urged Congress to seize the “narrow window to pass the legislation.”

The proposed tariffs come amid broader US efforts to reduce global dependence on Russian energy and to hold countries accountable for supporting Moscow’s war efforts. Last month, the US proposed imposing 12.5% tariffs on 54 countries, including India, for allegedly failing to prohibit imports of goods produced with forced labour.