‘Totally my option…’: Trump eyes punishing tariffs on India, China for buying Russian oil

US President Donald Trump said he’s strongly considering backing a proposed sanctions bill aimed at pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 includes a provision to impose a 500 percent tariff on countries like India and China that keep buying Russian energy products.

“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 told reporters during a Cabinet meeting.

Trump voiced frustration with Putin for dragging out the conflict in Ukraine. He recently directed the US Department of Defence to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine, signalling a tougher stance, according to the Associated Press.

Introduced in April by Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, the bill proposes sweeping penalties on countries importing Russian oil, natural gas, uranium, or petroleum products. It also seeks broader sanctions on Russian companies, state bodies, and top officials.

Graham said the bill targets nations whose purchases help fund Russia’s war. “If you are buying products from Russia and you are not helping Ukraine, then there’s a 500 per cent tariff on your products coming into the United States,” he said, noting that India and China account for around 70 per cent of Russia’s oil exports.

Separately, Trump sent letters on July 9 to seven smaller US trading partners — the Philippines, Brunei, Moldova, Algeria, Libya, Iraq, and Sri Lanka — announcing new tariffs. These nations aren’t seen as major industrial competitors to the US.

Earlier this week, Trump unveiled a 35 per cent tariff on Serbia, calling it a tool for promoting peace through trade negotiations. He said the new tariff rates were set using “common sense and trade imbalances.”