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# India Faces New 100% Tariff Threat in US Russia Sanctions Bill
- URL: https://www.theglobalvoice.com/india-faces-new-100-tariff-threat-in-us-russia-sanctions-bill/
- Published: 2026-09-15T14:28:11.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T14:28:11.000Z
- Description: A US House amendment has explicitly named India among countries that could face tariffs of up to 100% over purchases of Russian energy. The duties have not been imposed, and a rival amendment would remove the tariff power entirely, but Washington’s pressure on New Delhi is clearly rising.
- Author: TGV Desk
- Tags: India, that is Bharat, Live Wire, Diplomacy, americas, The Day So Far, has-audio

India has been explicitly named in a proposed amendment to a sweeping US Russia sanctions bill that could expose it to tariffs of up to 100% over its continued purchases of Russian energy.

The amendment, submitted by Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer, would add India to a list of ten countries deemed eligible for punitive duties under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026\. The list also includes China, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Slovakia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

The move matters because the Senate-passed version of the legislation did not name India individually. Instead, it gave the US president authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major purchasers of Russian crude oil or natural gas, or countries accused of facilitating sanctions evasion. The Senate passed the bill on August 7 by an overwhelming 86-11 vote.

If Hoyer’s amendment is adopted, India would no longer merely fall into a broad category of possible targets. It would be written directly into the law as one of the initial countries eligible for the duties.

The bill has to clear the House in its amended form, and the legislation gives President Donald Trump substantial discretion over whether, when and against whom the tariffs are actually applied. It also allows exemptions and waivers in certain circumstances.

There is also significant resistance inside Congress.

Representative Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has submitted a competing amendment that would remove the section authorising broad secondary tariffs altogether. Other amendments would tighten the conditions under which sanctions can be waived and provide additional military financing to Ukraine.

The dispute reflects a larger argument in Washington over how aggressively the US should punish countries that continue buying Russian energy.

Supporters of the legislation argue that Moscow’s oil and gas revenues continue to finance the war in Ukraine and that secondary tariffs are one of the few tools strong enough to pressure large buyers such as India and China. Critics counter that the tariffs would also raise costs for American importers and consumers while straining relations with strategic partners.

India is particularly exposed because it remains one of the world’s largest buyers of Russian crude. New Delhi has consistently defended those purchases as necessary for energy security and has argued that discounted Russian oil helped stabilise global energy markets after Western sanctions disrupted traditional trade flows. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated their broader strategic and energy ties during talks in New Delhi last week.

The timing therefore adds another layer of pressure to India-US relations.

For now, this remains a legislative threat rather than an imposed tariff. But the political shift is important: India is no longer merely an obvious candidate under a general sanctions framework.