US President Donald Trump has backed a Senate bill that could impose tariffs as high as 500% on countries like China and India that continue to import oil and energy products from Russia. Senator Lindsey Graham said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday that Trump had urged him to push the bill forward for a vote. “Big breakthrough here,” Graham said, calling the bill a significant step to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into negotiations over Ukraine and to give Trump leverage in potential talks.
“If you’re buying products from Russia and not helping Ukraine, then there is a 500% tariff on your products coming into the United States,” Graham explained. He pointed out that China and India purchase around 70% of Russia’s oil exports, indirectly supporting the Kremlin’s war efforts. The bill reportedly has 84 co-sponsors and is being described as an “economic bunker buster” aimed at punishing nations that fuel Russia’s economy amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Despite Trump’s support, Graham clarified that the president would still retain the authority to waive the tariffs if the bill passes Congress. India was the second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in May 2025, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. The country imported fossil fuels worth €4.2 billion that month, with crude oil accounting for 72% of the total.
In response to Graham’s remarks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Moscow had taken note of the senator’s long-standing anti-Russia views. “He belongs to a group of inveterate Russophobes,” Peskov said. “If it were up to him, these sanctions would have been imposed long ago. Whether that would help the Ukraine settlement process is a question for those proposing such measures.”