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# Trump Signs New Russia Sanctions Law, Raising Risks for India and China
- URL: https://www.theglobalvoice.com/trump-signs-new-russia-sanctions-law-raising-risks-for-india-and-china/
- Published: 2026-09-19T04:52:49.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-19T04:52:49.000Z
- Description: Donald Trump has signed sweeping new Russia sanctions legislation that expands restrictions on Moscow and gives the White House power to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, putting countries including India and China under greater scrutiny.
- Author: TGV Desk
- Tags: americas, Diplomacy, conflict, geopolitics, India, that is Bharat, Top Stories, politics, has-audio, The Day So Far

US President Donald Trump has signed sweeping new sanctions legislation targeting Russia, giving the White House significantly greater power to punish Moscow’s energy sector and [impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that remain major buyers of Russian oil and gas](https://www.theglobalvoice.com/india-faces-new-100-tariff-threat-in-us-russia-sanctions-bill/).

Trump signed H.R. 5334, the [Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act ](https://ofac.treasury.gov/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/russia-related-sanctions?ref=theglobalvoice.com)of 2026, on September 18 after the legislation cleared both houses of Congress. The White House said the law expands statutory sanctions, tariffs and prohibitions against Russia while extending existing sanctions authorities against Iran.

The legislation is aimed primarily at reducing the revenue Moscow receives from energy exports, which remains one of the Russian government’s most important sources of income nearly five years after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It expands sanctions targeting Russian officials, financial institutions, the energy and defence sectors and vessels linked to the so-called shadow fleet used to transport Russian oil outside Western restrictions.

Its most consequential provisions, however, extend beyond Russia itself. The law gives Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on imports from the five largest purchasers of Russian crude oil or natural gas and on major jurisdictions judged to be facilitating sanctions evasion. The administration retains broad discretion over how those countries are identified and can issue national-security waivers, meaning the maximum tariff is not automatically imposed on every Russian energy buyer.

That immediately puts countries such as India and China under scrutiny. Both remain major purchasers of Russian energy, although the eventual impact will depend on how aggressively Washington chooses to enforce the new powers. India has already warned the United States that punitive tariffs linked to its Russian oil purchases [could affect bilateral relations](https://www.theglobalvoice.com/india-warns-us-russia-sanctions-bill-could-hurt-bilateral-ties/) and has said it will continue taking measures necessary to protect energy security for its population.

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The bill had unusually broad support in the Senate, where it passed 86-11, before the House approved it 262-159\. It was championed by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal as a way to increase economic pressure on Moscow while giving the president flexibility to suspend sanctions if meaningful progress is made toward ending the war. The Trump administration formally backed the measure before passage, saying it would strengthen the president’s negotiating leverage.

Russia has rejected the legislation. The Kremlin warned before Trump signed it that additional US sanctions would complicate efforts to [negotiate an end to the Ukraine war](https://www.theglobalvoice.com/putin-says-ukraine-aviation-warning-complicates-potential-peace-deal/) and has repeatedly argued that Western economic restrictions have failed to change Moscow’s policies.

The law also extends the Iran Sanctions Act for another five years, linking two of Washington’s biggest sanctions programmes in a single piece of legislation.

The significance of the measure will now depend on enforcement. Previous sanctions largely focused on Russian companies, banks and individuals. The new law gives Washington a much broader weapon: the ability to impose serious economic costs on countries that continue providing Russia with energy revenue.

For major Russian oil buyers, the calculation is therefore changing. The question is no longer simply whether Russian crude remains cheaper than alternative supplies, but whether the discount is worth the risk of losing favourable access to the US market.