Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The US Senate has approved a bill aimed at punishing Russia and major buyers of its petroleum products, including India and China, saying such trade helps fund the war in Ukraine. The measure, renamed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, was passed by an 86-11 vote.
The bill allows President Donald Trump to impose 100 per cent tariffs on goods from countries that are among the top five importers of Russian oil and gas. It will now go to the House of Representatives for approval when it reconvenes on August 31.
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At present, China, India, Azerbaijan, Hungary and Slovakia are the top five importers of oil and gas from Russia. The bill also seeks to impose sanctions on Russian leaders and officials, including President Vladimir Putin, oligarchs and financial institutions.
Along with the Russia measures, the bill would extend the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 till 2031. The law penalises companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector.
The bipartisan bill was championed by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died on July 11, and Democrat Richard Blumenthal. After Graham’s sudden death following a trip to Kyiv, leaders from both parties pushed ahead with renewed vigour to secure passage of the Bill and honour his legacy as an ally of Ukraine. Darline Graham, the late senator’s sister who was appointed to his seat after his death, said, “This bill forces those primary countries keeping Russia’s economy afloat to make a simple yet critical choice – a choice between doing business with America or buying cheap Russian energy.”
After the vote, Blumenthal told reporters that Graham would be “proud of what we’ve done”. He added, “These sledgehammer sanctions and tariffs will stop all who are complicit in this murderous, criminal war of aggression against brave free people.”
Some Democrats have warned that the bill would hand Trump new tariff powers at a time when he has made such levies central to his trade policy. Democratic Congressmen Gregory Meeks and Don Beyer criticised the legislation for creating “sweeping new tariff authorities that the president could weaponise with abandon, as he has repeatedly done in the past”.
In a joint statement, Meeks and Beyer said, “We welcome our Senate colleagues’ urgent effort to support Ukraine and punish Russia for its continued illegal war, but this bill would not achieve those goals. Instead, it would allow President Trump to dodge holding Russia accountable and impose yet more tariffs in his destructive trade wars, leaving Americans to foot the bill.” The bill now awaits consideration in the House.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
