US Russia sanctions bill reduces tariffs on China, India

The Republican and Democratic U.S. Senators unveiled a revised version of the 'Russian sanctions legislation' championed by late Senator Lindsey Graham. They sought to impose sanctions on Russian officials, and to use tariffs to pressurize China and India into reducing their dependency on Russian oil and natural gas.

Graham, who passed away suddenly on Saturday had announced just one day before that he and Republican?President Donald Trump had agreed to push forward the bill more than a full year after it was first introduced.

Senate aides reported that the bill had 26 co-sponsors, including both Republicans and Democrats. They expected to see more in a few hours. They expressed optimism regarding its chances of passing. One aide stated, "We are pretty confident on its course."

The bill has been?changed since the original?version that was introduced by Graham, a Republican South Carolina resident, and Richard Blumenthal a Connecticut Democrat in April 2025.

The previous proposal had imposed a blanket tariff of 500% on all third-party purchasers of Russian gas and oil.

This exemption also applies to countries that import less than 15 % of Russia's gas exports. These countries must take significant steps to reduce their imports. Japan, France and Hungary could be exempted.

According to the aides, China, France Japan, Hungary, and Belgium are the top five importers of Russian natural gas, while the top five buyers of Russian crude oil are Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan.

The new version of the bill includes a provision that would allow Trump to waive the sanctions, if it is in the national interest of the United States. (Reporting and editing by Edmund Klamann; Trevor Hunnicutt, additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Timothy Gardner).

(source: Reuters)