New York : India could face US tariffs of up to 100 per cent on its exports to the American market under a Russia Sanctions Bill. The House voted 214-211 to advance the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, setting up a final vote on the legislation on Wednesday. Also known as the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, the legislation seeks to increase economic pressure on Moscow over its war against Ukraine.
A Republican from South Carolina who was a prominent advocate of tougher sanctions on Russia and had pushed for measures targeting countries that continued doing business with Moscow. The legislation targets Russia’s leadership, financial institutions and the energy sector, as well as vessels involved in sanctions evasion, including the so-called “shadow fleet”.
The bill would authorise US President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on countries that are major purchasers of Russian crude oil or natural gas, as well as countries identified as major facilitators of sanctions evasion. During House consideration, Democratic Representative Steny Hoyer introduced an amendment explicitly naming 10 countries that could be subjected to duties of up to 100 per cent.
India has remained a major buyer of Russian crude, particularly after Western sanctions reshaped global energy trade following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Washington has sought to use economic pressure on countries purchasing Russian energy to reduce Moscow’s revenues from oil and gas, which the US says help finance the war in Ukraine. Some US lawmakers have objected not to the goal of pressuring Russia, but to the breadth of the tariff powers the bill would give the president.
The bill also gives the president significant discretion over the use of the sanctions and tariff provisions, including the ability to waive certain measures on national-interest grounds. The House of Representatives has cleared the procedural stage and is due to vote on the bill itself on Wednesday. If the House passes the legislation, it would then move to the White House for Trump’s signature.
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