U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday indicated strong support for stringent new sanctions legislation aimed at pushing Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
The bill in question, the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, calls for broad economic steps — including a controversial provision that would impose a 500% duty on imports from countries like India and China that continue to purchase Russian oil and gas.
“I’m looking. It’s totally my option. They pass it totally at my option, and to terminate totally at my option. And I’m looking at it very strongly,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting, emphasizing his decisive role in the bill’s future.
Against growing discontent with Putin's continued belligerence, Trump also ordered the U.S. Department of Defense to ship more defense weapons to Ukraine — an unmistakable signal of a more aggressive strategy, the Associated Press reports.
The sanctions bill was presented in April by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Trump's closest allies. The legislation as proposed aims to sanction nations that import Russian-origin crude oil, natural gas, petroleum products, and uranium. It also sanctions Russia's principal institutions, principal businesses, and top officials with expanded economic sanctions.
Discussing with ABC News on June 30, Graham disclosed Trump's personal intervention in moving the bill ahead. "This is a big breakthrough," he stated, adding that the measure would give Trump more leverage on any future negotiations with Putin.
The bill has gathered broad momentum in Congress. "I've got 84 co-sponsors for a Russian sanctions bill that's an economic bunker buster against China, India, and Russia for Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine. I think that bill's going to pass," Graham said.
One of the key aspects of the legislation being proposed is a provision that gives the U.S. President the power to grant a one-time, 180-day waiver to any nation in the interest of national security. According to a Hindustan Times report, parliamentarians are examining the option of introducing an amendment that would permit a second waiver under certain circumstances.
India, which has increased imports of Russian oil since 2022, may be seriously impacted by this act. The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air reports that in May, India was the second-largest importers of Russian fossil fuels, with crude oil accounting for 72% of the approximately €4.2 billion worth of imports.
On a recent trip to Washington, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar recognized the changing situation and made it clear that New Delhi is closely watching the bill's developments.
"Parliament Lindsey Graham's bill, of course, any development that is taking place in the US Congress is of concern to us, if it affects our interest or would affect our interest," Jaishankar said to the press.
He went on to say, "So we've been in contact with Senator Graham. The embassy and the ambassador have been in contact. I believe our interests and our concerns regarding energy security have been made fluent to him, so we'll then have to cross that bridge if we come to it."
Graham's position has been made clear: "If you're buying Russian products and you're not assisting Ukraine, then there's a 500% tariff on your products coming into the United States." He went on to observe that India and China together represent about 70% of Russia's market for oil exports.
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