US tariffs against Russian oil buyers pass: What it means for China, India
US sanctions aim to weaken Russian oil exports, heavily targeting China and India as Moscow's largest energy buyers.
United States Congress has passed a bill that gives President Donald Trump sweeping powers to impose sanctions on Russia’s crude exports as well as steep tariffs on buyers of Russian energy, a measure which will impact Moscow’s biggest customers, China and India.
The legislation, passed in the House of Representatives on Wednesday and sent to Trump to sign into law, is the most significant US action against Moscow since the president’s return to the White House.
The “Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026”, named after the late senator who was a staunch supporter of Ukraine up until his death in July, is designed to curtail the economic pipeline that has enabled Russia to fund its war against Ukraine, now in its fifth year.
The pressure could be particularly acute for India. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned that India’s rising reliance on crude imports has “major implications” for its energy security. Replacing Russian supplies could also mean sourcing more crude from producers farther away, including in the Americas.