US tariffs on India may rise up to 500% as Trump backs Russia sanctions bill
Bipartisan legislation would allow Washington to impose secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian oil and uranium, with a Senate vote possible as early as next week
US tariffs on imports from India and China could rise sharply, potentially by up to 500 per cent, as early as next week after President Donald Trump approved a bipartisan sanctions bill enabling Washington to “penalise” countries that “knowingly” purchase oil from Russia.
In a post on X, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said the President cleared the legislation, which will also sanction countries purchasing Russian uranium, after they held a “productive” meeting on Wednesday (January 7), adding that it could be put to a vote as early as next week.
Also read | Modi 'not happy with me' over steep tariffs, says Trump
He said the president “greenlit” the Russia sanctions bill that has been in the works for months. The hard-hitting sanctions package is primarily meant to economically cripple Moscow as the Trump administration continues to negotiate a deal to end the war that began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Tariffs aimed at Russia trade
Graham had signalled previously that Trump has blessed the bill, only for it to encounter additional obstacles. But a White House official confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that the president supports the sanctions legislation.
“This will be well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent,” Graham said in a statement, referring to the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The bill, chiefly written by Graham and Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, allows the administration to impose tariffs and secondary sanctions on countries that purchase Russia's oil, gas, uranium and other exports. Doing so is meant to cut off the source of financing for much of Russia's military actions.
Sanctions vote timeline unclear
The White House has previously insisted on some revisions and flexibility for Trump in the sanctions package, but the White House official on Wednesday did not elaborate on whether any changes were secured. The legislation has dozens of co-sponsors in the Senate, as well as a companion bill in the House, drafted by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.
Also read | Trump hints at higher tariffs on India over Russian oil imports
Graham said there could be a vote as early as next week, although it's unclear how likely that will be. The Senate is poised to take up a scaled-back government funding package next week that the House is currently considering, if the House passes it. The following week is a Senate recess timed to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The Trump administration is currently trying to finalise a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, now nearly four years old, with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, as the US president's chief negotiators.
(With agency inputs)