US House clears Russia sanctions bill targeting India, China oil trade

The US House has passed a bill letting Donald Trump sanction Russia and target buyers of its energy. The move raises the prospect of tariffs on India and China as Washington sharpens pressure before key political milestones.

In Short

• The bill drew bipartisan support, passing the House by 262-159
• Democrats mainly objected to granting Trump wider unilateral tariff powers
• It targets Russia's shadow fleet that moves oil outside existing sanctions

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that would allow President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Russia and sharply raise tariffs on countries trading in Russian oil and gas, including India and China. The legislation, which was approved by the Senate last month, now goes to Trump to be signed into law.

The bill, titled the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, was cleared by the House in a 262-159 vote on Wednesday evening. Support for the measure crossed party lines, but Democratic opposition largely focused on the tariff powers it would give Trump.

Besides 203 Republicans, 58 Democrats and one Independent voted in favour of the legislation. Seven Republicans and 152 Democrats opposed it. During debate on the bill, Congressman Richard Neal, a Democrat, said, "What we're not for is giving more tariff authority to this president."

The bill is named after Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who died in July after spending more than a year building support for it. It seeks to impose sanctions not only on Russia's leadership and energy sector, but also on the "shadow fleet" of vessels that help Moscow bypass sanctions on oil deliveries. It also seeks to authorise Trump to impose stiff tariffs on China, India and other countries to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and gas, along with additional sanctions on Iran.

After the bill was passed, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal told reporters, "China and India, you better buy your oil and gas somewhere else." Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen said, "Russia is getting that oil and gas sold by using the shadow fleet, which means that it's being bought at less than market rates, and it's going mostly to countries like China and India." She added, "China is the top user of Russian oil and gas, and we need to send a very strong message, not just to Putin, but to China, and to anybody who is buying Russian oil and gas, that they are going to pay a price for that."

The House passage came days before Chinese President Xi Jinping's official visit to the US. The Senate had overwhelmingly passed the bill by 86-11 last month, but momentum slowed in the House. The measure was approved on the final day the House is expected to hold votes before the November 3 elections, at a time when pro-Ukraine groups have increased lobbying efforts. The Ukraine Action Summit, organised by the American Coalition for Ukraine, is currently underway in Washington to press US lawmakers for continued support to Kyiv.

In summary, the House has now approved a bill aimed at tightening pressure on Russia and Iran, while also opening the way for tariffs on countries such as India and China over purchases of Russian oil and gas. The measure, passed after weeks of debate and ahead of key political events in the US, now awaits Trump's signature.

With PTI Inputs

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