As many as 60 US Senators have backed a new bill that proposes a tariff up to 100% on India and four other nations for purchasing Russian oil. The bill’s content, which was unveiled on Friday, has obtained the backing of US President Donald Trump and could be passed before August, according to the bill’s supporters in the Senate.
Senator John Thune, leader of the majority in the Senate, has signed as one of the bill’s key supporters, which could lead to the passage of the bill in the upper chamber.
The bill, Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, proposes granting the Trump administration the authority to place tariffs up to 100% on the five top purchases of Russian oil or natural gas.
US Senators clarified earlier this week that the tariffs will target China, India, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan for purchasing Russian oil. The bill also provides for tariffs on the top five countries assisting Russia’s sanctions evasion. The exact tariff rate will be set by the US Trade Representative (USTR).
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However, the bill provides substantial exemptions for European allies, which continue to purchase natural gas from Russia.
“The bill exempts countries whose Russian natural gas imports account for less than 15 percent of Russia’s total natural gas exports and that are taking significant steps to reduce those imports. The bill calls for USTR to reassess the top 5 purchasers every 180 days and can adjust tariff rates based on changes in purchasing behavior,” according to a summary of the bill released by the Senators backing the measure.
The bill’s text also includes an exemption for American purchases of low-enriched uranium used in its nuclear reactors.
In June, India’s imports of Russian crude surged to record high levels, rising 34% month-on-month. Indian purchases of Russian crude oil were valued at 4.5 billion Euros in June, accounting for roughly 36% of Russia’s exports. This made India the second largest buyer of Russian crude oil behind China, according to the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air. In June, Washington let a general license that allowed countries – including India – to purchase energy without attracting US sanctions to expire.
on Thursday is a softened version of the 2025 Sanctioning Russia Act, which was introduced in the US Senate in April last year and proposed a possible 500 percent tariff on countries purchasing Russian energy, including India. The top line tariff has been brought down to 100% and the scope of the tariff limited to the top five purchases of Russian oil or gas instead of applying to a broad swathe of countries.
Crucially, the bill also contains a waiver provision that allows the US President to waive sanctions and duties on a country as long as the commander-in-chief provides Congress a justification and certification that the waiver is in the US national interest.
