US Senator Richard Blumenthal defended proposed legislation that would allow President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, saying the measure is designed to target countries such as India and China rather than US allies.Speaking after the Senate advanced the bipartisan bill, Blumenthal accused India and China of helping finance Russia’s war in Ukraine through their energy purchases.He also claimed that tariffs imposed by the Trump administration had already led India to significantly reduce its imports of Russian crude.
‘Let’s be blunt’: India, China are ‘main culprits’
Blumenthal said the legislation does not mandate tariffs but authorises the president to impose duties of up to 100 per cent on the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and gas.“The bill doesn’t require tariffs. It authorizes tariffs up to 100 per cent to the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and gas. It’s carefully crafted to make sure we are not hitting our allies and that we are hitting China and India.”He added: “Let’s be really blunt. China and India are the main culprits here. They purchase the vast majority of oil and gas. They are fueling Russia’s war machine, and they are doing us no favors anywhere else in the world.”
Claims tariffs curbed India’s Russian oil imports
Blumenthal argued that tariffs and sanctions have already had an impact, pointing to India’s oil trade with Russia.“The president imposed tariffs of about 25 per cent on India, and they cut their purchases of Russian oil by 50 per cent.”He maintained that economic pressure can influence countries’ behaviour.“Tariffs and sanctions have consequences, and the president is gonna be under a lot of pressure to use them, and he is signing this bill with the expectation publicly that he will use them.”
Bill would allow tariffs of up to 100 %
The bipartisan legislation would authorise Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on imports from countries that continue purchasing substantial quantities of Russian oil and gas.It also proposes sanctions targeting Russian officials, financial institutions and the so-called shadow fleet used to bypass existing restrictions on Russian oil exports, while expanding measures linked to Iran.The proposal must still clear additional Senate votes before moving to the House of Representatives.
India has defended Russian oil purchases
India remains one of the world’s largest buyers of Russian crude and is second only to China in imports.Russian oil has become a major part of India’s energy basket since the Ukraine war, with refiners increasing purchases of discounted crude to meet domestic demand.According to commodities data firm Kpler, India imported a record 2.7 million barrels per day of Russian crude in June and about 2.6 million barrels per day during the first three weeks of July, accounting for more than half of the country’s total crude imports.New Delhi has repeatedly defended the purchases, saying its energy imports are guided by affordability, availability and national energy security rather than geopolitical considerations.Last month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the US had previously encouraged India to buy Russian oil to help stabilise global energy markets after sanctions disrupted supplies, while Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has maintained that India has never been asked to halt imports from Russia