A bipartisan group of US Senators unveiled a bill that seeks to impose 100 per cent tariffs on five countries, including India and China, for purchasing oil from Russia.

The bill, brokered by late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, exempts 15 European nations that buy gas from Russia from the tariffs, arguing that the purchases amount to a fraction of their total requirements and the countries in question were taking steps to reduce dependence on Moscow.

Apart from India and China, other countries that will be hit by the tariffs are Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan.

If the bill passes, it would be the first time that the Congress openly authorises the use of tariff as a geopolitical weapon with the goal of punishing countries financing another nation’s war effort.

An earlier version of the bill sought to impose 500 per cent tariffs on purchasers of oil and gas from Russia.

Last month, the US proposed to impose 12.5 per cent tariffs on 54 countries, including India, for allegedly failing to prohibit the import of goods produced with forced labour.

Published on July 16, 2026