The United States Senate has passed the Russia Sanctions Bill, formally named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, with a decisive bipartisan vote of 86 to 11.

The legislation authorises tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five countries purchasing Russian crude oil and natural gas, including China and India. It must now proceed to the House of Representatives before becoming law.

The bill is designed to impose mandatory sanctions on senior figures within the Russian government, including President Vladimir Putin, as well as foreign companies supporting Russia’s defence industrial base.

It also provides exemptions for countries importing less than 15 per cent of Russia’s total natural gas exports, thereby shielding smaller buyers from punitive measures.

Earlier, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, told ANI that it was up to negotiating teams to determine whether the sanctions bill would affect ongoing trade talks with India. He declined to elaborate further, stressing that the matter lay firmly within the remit of negotiators.

The Senate had already cleared an initial procedural hurdle earlier in the week with a vote of 86 to 12, paving the way for the bill’s passage. Officially titled the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, the legislation seeks to restrict petroleum revenues that finance Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine. India, China, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan are identified as primary countries of concern due to their continued purchases of Russian hydrocarbons.

The timing of the bill coincides with broader India–US trade negotiations, where tariff structures remain a contentious issue. In February 2026, both countries outlined an interim trade understanding proposing a reciprocal tariff rate of 18 per cent on Indian exports, in exchange for expanded Indian procurement of US energy resources and technology.

However, implementation was disrupted when the US Supreme Court invalidated the reciprocal tariff mechanism under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, forcing the administration to adopt a temporary Section 122 framework.

At present, under a subsequent Section 301 framework tied to forced-labour considerations, most Indian goods face a 10 per cent supplementary duty above standard Most-Favoured-Nation rates. Despite these shifting structures and legal uncertainties, both sides continue active dialogue aimed at easing tariff pressures, broadening market access and deepening economic ties. Hassett has previously described the US–India relationship as complicated but expressed optimism that a deal could eventually be reached.

The passage of the Russia Sanctions Bill represents a significant escalation in Washington’s efforts to curtail Moscow’s energy revenues.

For India, the legislation introduces fresh uncertainty into trade negotiations and raises the prospect of steep tariffs on its imports of Russian crude, a critical component of its energy security strategy.

ANI