The bill now heads to the House, where its passage could put India under fresh US pressure over its purchases of discounted Russian crude and potentially complicate the growing India-US trade relationship.
BY PC Bureau
August 8, 2026: The US Senate has overwhelmingly approved a sweeping new Russia sanctions package that could expose major buyers of Russian oil and natural gas—including India and China—to tariffs of up to 100 per cent, dramatically escalating Washington’s economic pressure on countries that continue to purchase Russian energy.
The legislation, approved by an 86-11 vote, gives the US President broad authority to impose punitive tariffs on goods imported from countries that remain among the world’s largest purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas. India and China are currently among the countries that could face the most significant consequences if the tariff provisions are ultimately activated.
The bill now goes to the House of Representatives, which is scheduled to return from its recess on August 31. Its passage through the Senate marks a major step towards giving the White House a potentially powerful new instrument for pressuring Moscow—and countries that continue to maintain substantial energy trade with Russia.
The measure was named in honour of the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the Senate’s most outspoken advocates of tougher action against Russia over its war in Ukraine. Graham died on July 11 after spending years pushing for legislation designed to increase the economic cost of Russia’s invasion.
His sister and Senate successor, Darline Graham, welcomed the Senate vote, saying the legislation would target the Russian economy at a particularly vulnerable point by putting pressure on the country’s energy revenues.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who worked with Graham for more than a year to build bipartisan support for the measure, framed the vote as a message to both Moscow and Kyiv.
“Today, President [Volodymyr] Zelensky is watching from Ukraine — and Putin is watching from Moscow,” Blumenthal said, adding that the measure demonstrated continued US support for Ukraine.
BIG BREAKING 🚨
The US Senate has passed Russia sanctions legislation, 86–11, targeting countries including India and China over imports of Russian energy.
The bill gives power to Trump to impose up to 100% tariffs and now heads to the House of Representatives.…
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) August 7, 2026
India and China in the crosshairs
The most consequential provision for New Delhi and Beijing is the proposed authority to impose tariffs of as much as 100 per cent on imports from countries identified as the largest buyers of Russian oil or natural gas.
India and China have emerged as two of the most important destinations for Russian energy exports since the war in Ukraine sharply disrupted Moscow’s traditional European markets.
India, in particular, substantially increased its purchases of discounted Russian crude after Western sanctions and an EU embargo disrupted the established energy trade. Indian refiners have continued to purchase Russian crude because of its competitive pricing, while maintaining that such purchases are driven by energy security and commercial considerations.
China is an even larger and strategically important customer for Russian energy, importing both crude oil and natural gas.
The proposed tariff mechanism therefore goes beyond conventional sanctions against Russia. Instead of targeting only Russian entities, it would potentially impose a substantial economic cost on third countries that continue buying Russian energy.
That could create a difficult policy choice for India: continue purchasing relatively inexpensive Russian crude and risk punitive US trade measures, or reduce those purchases to minimise exposure to American tariffs.
Five major Russian energy buyers
The legislation empowers the President to target the five largest importers of Russian oil or natural gas. The countries currently identified among the leading buyers include India, China, Azerbaijan, Hungary and Slovakia.
The bill, however, provides limited exemptions for countries that obtain less than 15 per cent of their natural-gas supplies from Russia and are taking concrete measures to reduce that dependence further.
The precise impact on individual countries would ultimately depend on how the White House interprets and implements the legislation if it becomes law.
The tariff authority also gives the administration considerable leverage because the threat of tariffs could itself be used to pressure major Russian energy customers into reducing their purchases without the tariffs necessarily being imposed immediately.
Tougher action against Russia’s energy network
Beyond the tariff provisions, the legislation contains a broader package of measures aimed at squeezing Russia’s ability to finance the war.
It would expand sanctions against Russian political and military officials, senior figures close to President Vladimir Putin, financial institutions and energy-related projects.
The bill also targets ageing and reflagged oil tankers that have become an important part of Russia’s efforts to keep its energy exports moving despite Western restrictions.
The so-called shadow-fleet network has allowed Russian oil to reach international markets through complicated ownership structures, ship-to-ship transfers and changes in registration. Washington has increasingly sought to target these vessels as part of efforts to limit Moscow’s energy revenues.
Presidential waiver authority
Despite the bill’s broad sanctions provisions, the legislation would give the President the ability to waive sanctions or related measures in certain circumstances.
Such a waiver would require the President to certify to Congress that suspending the measures is in the national interest.
That provision could become particularly important if the legislation creates tensions with major US trading partners. It would allow the administration to retain significant flexibility in applying the sanctions and tariffs rather than being locked into an automatic penalty regime.
Iran also included
The legislation extends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 until 2031, maintaining restrictions on companies that make certain investments in Iran’s energy sector.
The inclusion of Iran reflects the bill’s wider objective of strengthening the US sanctions architecture against countries viewed by Washington as supporting or financing governments hostile to US interests.
What it could mean for India
For India, the legislation could become a significant new source of pressure in an already complicated US-India economic relationship.
New Delhi has consistently defended its purchases of Russian crude as a matter of national economic interest, arguing that India must secure affordable energy for a population of more than 1.4 billion people.
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also become an important component of India’s refining industry, with Indian refiners processing the oil into fuels that are consumed domestically and exported to international markets.
A potential 100 per cent US tariff, however, could substantially alter that calculation.
Such a measure would not necessarily ban India from purchasing Russian oil. Instead, it could make Indian exports to the United States significantly more expensive, potentially undermining the competitiveness of Indian companies in the American market.
The threat could therefore affect India even before any tariff is imposed.
At the same time, New Delhi is likely to argue that its energy purchases are a sovereign commercial decision and that secondary trade penalties should not force it to abandon established sources of crude.
A new front in Washington’s pressure campaign
The Senate vote represents a significant evolution in the US approach to Russia.
Previous sanctions have largely focused on Russian banks, companies, individuals, technology imports, shipping networks and other entities directly connected to Moscow. The new legislation would potentially extend the economic battlefield to countries that continue to provide Russia with a major source of revenue through energy purchases.
That makes the bill particularly consequential for India and China.
If enacted and aggressively implemented, it could force some of the world’s largest Russian-energy customers to reconsider the scale and structure of their purchases.
For Moscow, the stakes are equally high. Oil and gas revenues remain central to the Russian economy and to the Kremlin’s ability to sustain its military campaign in Ukraine.
The legislation must still clear the House before it can reach the President’s desk. But the overwhelming 86-11 Senate vote demonstrates that there is substantial bipartisan support in Washington for increasing economic pressure on Russia—even if doing so risks creating friction with major US trading partners such as India and China.
