US President Donald Trump signs bill allowing 100% tariff on India, China over Russian oil

Washington, Sep 19: US President Donald Trump has signed into law a Russia sanctions bill that authorizes his administration to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from countries that continue to buy Russian oil and gas, including India and China. The White House confirmed that Trump signed H.R. 5334, the ‘Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026’, on September 18.

The bill had been passed by both chambers of the US Congress — the Senate and the House of Representatives. With Trump signing the legislation, it has become law, giving the US president expanded authority to impose heavy tariffs and other measures on countries purchasing Russian oil and natural gas.

The legislation is called the ‘Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026’. It has been named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who had strongly advocated the Russia sanctions bill. Graham had travelled to Ukraine in July this year and died suddenly after returning.

The White House said Trump signed H.R. 5334, the ‘Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026’, on September 18, and it has now become law. The legislation authorizes and expands statutory sanctions, tariffs and prohibitions against Russia and extends existing sanctions against Iran.

The primary objective of the bill is to reduce financial support for Russia's war against Ukraine. It targets Russian businesses and oil interests, foreign entities that support the Russian military, and banks. The law gives Trump the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries buying Russian oil and gas, with the aim of pressuring them to reduce their dependence on Russian energy.

Although Trump has signed the bill, the imposition of the tariffs is subject to the provisions and implementation of the law rather than taking effect automatically. The legislation gives the president the authority to impose the measures.

The move is a major concern for countries including India, China, Hungary, Azerbaijan and Slovakia, which purchase oil and natural gas from Russia.