Trump backs bill to sanction China, India over Russian oil imports
On 23 August, as a pushback against New Delhi's Russian oil imports, India emerged as the biggest buyer of Russian crude since the Ukraine war broke out in 2022 amid American and European sanctions on Moscow.
US president Donald Trump has greenlit a bipartisan Russia Sanctions Bill, which gives the United States leverage against India, China, and Brazil to curb their Russian oil imports that purportedly fuel Moscow's war in Ukraine.
"This bill will allow President Trump to punish those countries that buy cheap Russian oil, fueling Putin's war machine," a Republican senator said. He, along with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, drafted the bill.
"This bill would give President Trump tremendous leverage against countries like China, India, and Brazil to incentivise them to stop buying the cheap Russian oil that provides the financing for Putin's bloodbath against Ukraine. I look forward to a strong bipartisan vote, hopefully as early as next week."
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Sanctioning of Russia Act 2025
It is designed to force Russia into peace negotiations in Ukraine by crippling its economic lifelines.
The Act requires the US president to determine every 90 days if Russia is refusing to negotiate a peace agreement or has violated one. A negative determination triggers "bone-crushing" mandatory sanctions. The key provisions of the bill are
- 500% Tariffs: It mandates tariffs of at least 500% on goods from any country that knowingly imports Russian oil, gas, or uranium. This provision explicitly targets major importers like China, India, and Brazil to cut off Russia's war financing.
- Secondary sanctions: It imposes secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions and entities that facilitate transactions for Russia's energy sector.
- Asset freezes and bans: The bill blocks assets of Russian officials (including Vladimir Putin) and oligarchs, bans Russian stocks from US exchanges, and prohibits US investment in Russian energy.
The bill signals a potential shift toward aggressive economic coercion against nations sustaining Russia's economy.
India's Russian oil imports—then and now
On 23 August, as a pushback against New Delhi's Russian oil imports, India emerged as the biggest buyer of Russian crude since the Ukraine war broke out in 2022 amid American and European sanctions on Moscow.
