An American lawmaker has proposed an amendment to a bill aimed at imposing sanctions on Russia, seeking to explicitly include India and other major Russian trading partners for potential tariffs of up to 100%.
The “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctions Russia and Iran Act” was passed by the US Senate last month with strong bipartisan support, receiving 86 votes in favour and 11 against. The legislation seeks to impose sanctions on Russia’s leadership and energy sector, as well as its so-called shadow fleet used to circumvent restrictions on oil sales.
The bill also proposes giving US President Donald Trump the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil, including China and India. However, the Senate-passed version does not specifically name Russia’s commercial partners.
Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer has now introduced an amendment seeking to clearly identify the countries that could face such tariffs. The proposed list includes India, China, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Slovakia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
India is one of the major buyers of Russian crude oil, raising concerns that the proposed measure could have implications for India-Russia energy trade and India’s broader economic interests.
Meanwhile, Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks has proposed a separate amendment seeking to remove Rule 113 from the legislation. The provision would give the US President broad authority to impose additional tariffs of up to 100% on Russia’s commercial partners.
The bill must clear the US House of Representatives before it can be sent to President Trump.