Is India at Risk of a 500% US Tariff? Four Senators Push Trump-Backed Russia Bill

India has been affected by the rising energy prices due to the the US and Iran conflict. The country might face another major challenge as four American senators have announced an agreement with the Trump administration to advance legislation targeting countries that buy Russian oil and natural gas.

Republican senators Lindsey Graham and Roger Wicker, along with Democratic senators Richard Blumenthal and Jeanne Shaheen, want to push a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill.

In a statement, the lawmakers said, "We are proud to announce that we have reached an agreement with the Trump Administration to move our updated Russia sanctions legislation forward. We are very pleased with this significant progress and expect to roll out the legislation very soon."

The move is aimed at exerting pressure on the countries that buy Russian oil. "As Russia intensifies its slaughter of civilians, it is imperative that the legislative and executive branches work together to create tools to exact a heavy price on those who buy Russian oil and natural gas, fuelling the Putin war machine," the senators said.

The Trump administration has approved the latest draft of the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, according to Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, who confirmed the development to CBS News.

The original bill proposed imposing a 500 per cent tariff on countries purchasing Russian energy. In addition, the bill had the provisions to grant a 180-day waiver to countries if granting the waiver did not pose a national security risk to the US.

Recent reports suggest the latest draft includes several changes to the original provisions.

The supporters of the bill had specifically targeted India. In June 2025, Senator Lindsey Graham wrote on X, "To China and India: if you continue to prop up Putin's war machine, you'll have nobody to blame but yourself."

Since 2022, India has remained a major buyer of Russian crude.

India reduced its purchases under US pressure earlier this year over the Middle East crisis but the Trump administration allowed New Delhi and other nations to purchase discounted Russian oil without attracting American penalties. The waiver expired on June 17.