Washington: US President Donald Trump has signed into law a Russia sanctions bill that allows his administration to levy tariffs of up to 100% on nations purchasing Moscow’s oil and gas, a measure that could hit India and China hard.
The move follows the Republican-controlled House of Representatives clearing the package on Wednesday with a 262–159 vote, giving final congressional approval before it reached the White House.
The legislation targets Russia’s energy and defence sectors, President Vladimir Putin and senior officials, and the so-called “shadow fleet” of tankers used to skirt Western curbs, while also extending sanctions on Iran and targeting foreign entities backing Russia’s military, as reported by NDTV.
The bill allows the president to charge high tariffs on the five largest buyers of Russian oil or gas. A country can be exempt if it gets less than 15% of its gas from Russia and is working to cut that share. Because India and China are among the top buyers, both could face steep US tariffs.
The bill caused an unusual split among Democrats. Many support Ukraine but did not want to give Trump wide trade powers that could stay in place after he leaves office. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the bill’s passage was symbolic and thanked US lawmakers.
India said it would keep buying oil “through diversified sourcing,” showing it wants to protect its energy and trade interests, even as it warned the tariffs could hurt ties with the US.
The signing comes a week before Trump is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington, making the new sanctions and tariff threat diplomatically sensitive.
