US Senate Advances Russia Sanctions Bill Targeting India, China

The US Senate on Tuesday voted 86-12 to fast-track the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, setting a strict time limit for debate ahead of a final floor vote.

The bipartisan bill, which has 62 co-sponsors and is widely expected to pass in the 100-member Senate, would allow President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on major buyers of oil from Russia and Iran, according to an India Today report. The legislative action took place shortly after lawmakers attended a memorial service for Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a veteran Republican politician who had worked on the Russia sanctions bill for more than a year before his death on July 11. Iran was added to the measure at Trump's insistence.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended the memorial proceedings in Washington and subsequently observed the legislative session from the upper gallery, where he smiled and waved at lawmakers casting their ballots, as per the report.

Targeting India And China As Major Oil Buyers

The bill, spearheaded by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, imposes tariffs that are "narrowly limited to the five major purchasers – up to 100 per cent – with waiver authority that is narrowly tailored and constricted," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut told reporters. The five major purchasers of Russian oil are China, India, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan.

An earlier version of the bill proposed imposing tariffs of up to 500% on countries purchasing Russian oil and gas. The legislation exempts 15 European countries that continue to import Russian gas, with lawmakers arguing that these nations rely on Russia for only a small share of their energy needs and are taking steps to reduce their dependence on Moscow.

The bill also includes a provision requiring the US Trade Representative to reassess the top five buyers every 180 days to adjust tariff rates according to any shifts in purchasing behaviour.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who co-sponsored the bill, said the measure "is carefully crafted to make sure we are not hitting our allies and that we are hitting China and India. Let's be really blunt. China and India are the main culprits here. They purchase the vast majority of oil and gas, they are fuelling Russia's war machine and they are doing us no favours anywhere else in the world," according to India Today.

"If passed, the legislation would mark the first time the US Congress has explicitly authorised the use of tariffs as a geopolitical tool to penalise countries accused of financing another nation's war effort," he said in his earlier comment.

Sanctions And Tariff Powers

Penalties will directly strike Russian oligarchs, their immediate relatives and government officials, extending to foreign nationals, the Russian Shadow Fleet and domestic banking institutions.

Lawmakers prolonged the Iran Sanctions Act by an additional five years, maintaining secondary economic restrictions through 2031. The text additionally includes a five-year sunset clause concerning the expanded tariff powers, preventing the presidential authority from becoming a permanent fixture of national trade policy without further legislative approval.

Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, described the bill as Graham's greatest contribution to preserving peace in Europe, according to Outlook India. Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged lawmakers to "seize the narrow window" to pass the legislation.

Republican Senator Katie Britt of Alabama said Graham had worked "tirelessly, relentlessly" to build bipartisan support for the measure and believed it would become the most consequential legislation of his career.

India-China Angle And Forced Labour Tariffs

The bill comes amid broader US trade pressure on India and China. Last month, the US proposed imposing 12.5% tariffs on 54 countries, including India, over allegations that they had failed to prohibit imports of goods produced using forced labour.

Opposition And Concerns

The bill could face resistance in the House, where some Democrats oppose expanding Trump's tariff powers. House Ways and Means ranking member Richard Neal and Senate Finance ranking member Ron Wyden opposed the move.

"It is extremely dangerous to give Trump massive new tariff powers, particularly after we've seen the disastrous impacts of his corrupt, chaotic, and inflationary tariff spree," they said in a statement, according to India Today.