US Russia sanctions bill cuts India, China tariff threat from 500% to 100%
The bipartisan legislation, backed by Republican and Democratic senators, aims to increase pressure on Moscow by imposing sanctions on Russian officials, financial institutions and energy projects and imposing tariffs to deter countries from continuing to buy Russian oil and gas. The revised draft comes after months of talks with President Donald Trump, who recently approved moving the bill forward.
The measure was first introduced in April 2025 by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. Graham, who died suddenly on Saturday, announced that he had reached an agreement with Trump on advancing the law during his visit to Ukraine the day before.
Under the revised proposal, tariffs of up to 100% would apply only to the five largest buyers of Russian crude, replacing a previous proposal that called for a 500% blanket tariff on countries importing Russian oil and natural gas.
The top five buyers of Russian crude are China, India, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan, according to Senate aides. The largest importers of Russian natural gas are China, France, Japan, Hungary and Belgium.
The updated bill also provides exemptions for countries that import less than 15 percent of Russia’s natural gas exports and take significant steps to reduce these imports. Senate aides said the provision could exempt Japan, France, Hungary and Belgium.
In addition to tariffs, the legislation also imposes sanctions on Russia’s fleet of shadow tankers operating outside Western shipping services, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, other Russian financial institutions, and major state-owned energy projects, including Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 1, 2, and 3. The revised version also gives the US president the power to waive sanctions if doing so is deemed to be in the national interest.
Senate aides expressed confidence that the legislation has a clear path to passage, noting that the bill had 26 co-sponsors as of Tuesday and more are expected to join.
A Senate aide who announced the decision to soften the tariff provisions said the changes reflected months of negotiations to secure Trump’s support.
“This is the only product that has support from everyone right now, and it’s probably the only product that will move forward and put pressure on Russia in the way we all want it to,” the aide said.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said that sanctions against Iran and Hezbollah could also be added to the law, describing such a move as “a very big thing.” But Blumenthal warned against expanding the bill, saying Congress should focus on passing the current version rather than adding new goals.
Responding to Trump’s remarks, another Senate aide said the legislation already subjects countries like Iran that work with Russia’s defense industrial base to sanctions and tariffs.
Trump also expressed confidence that the bill will become law.
“This is to Lindsey’s credit. This was her thing. She wanted this more than anything. You know how she feels, and there’s a good chance it will happen,” Trump said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
