US Congress passes a Russia sanctions law allowing 100% tariffs on countries that buy its oil and gas

Berlin, September 18, 2026. The German press first notes the scope of tariff powers that the US Congress has just granted to Donald Trump. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives approved a package of sanctions against Russia by 262 votes to 159, after a favorable vote by the Senate the previous month with a "clear majority", according to Handelsblatt. The text now goes to the desk of the American president, who had already "indicated his agreement", the economic daily specifies. Deutsche Welle describes this package as the "first new sanctions text against Russia" of Trump's second term.

The two titles describe the same declared objective: to reduce the revenue from Russian energy exports, which finance the war against Ukraine. But the mechanism highlighted by the German press remains primarily tariff-based. According to DW, Trump will be able to impose taxes of up to 500% on direct imports from Russia, and customs duties of up to 100% on the five largest buyers of Russian energy, as well as the five countries that help Moscow the most to circumvent existing sanctions.

Handelsblatt recalls that China and India are among the largest buyers of Russian oil and that the law "could therefore further strain American trade relations" with these two countries. The daily also emphasizes that the text bears the name of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died in July, presented as the man who "decisively advanced" it in Congress.

On the repressive side, DW details entry bans targeting Vladimir Putin and several military officials deemed responsible for the war, the freezing of their assets in the United States, that of Russian banks, as well as an explicit targeting of the "ghost fleet" of oil tankers used by Moscow to circumvent existing oil sanctions.

Neither of the two articles mentions at this stage any reaction from the Kremlin, India, or Ukraine: the German coverage remains focused on the legislative process in Washington and the tariff mechanisms it opens, rather than on its immediate diplomatic repercussions for New Delhi or Beijing. It remains to be seen, once the presidential signature is obtained, with what scope these new duties will actually be applied.

New Delhi, September 18, 2026. The US House of Representatives adopted the Lindsey O. Graham bill on sanctions against Russia and Iran on Wednesday, September 16, by 262 votes to 159, which was already voted on by the Senate by 86 votes to 11. The text, named after the Republican senator who died in July, now heads to Donald Trump's desk and authorizes the president to impose customs duties of up to 100% on imports from countries that continue to buy Russian oil and gas — without triggering them automatically. An exemption is provided for countries that import less than 15% of their gas from Russia and reduce these purchases.

For New Delhi, the stakes are measured in dollars. According to the think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), Russia supplied 30.3% of India's crude oil imports in the 2026 fiscal year, totaling $40.8 billion out of a total bill of $134.7 billion. In July, Russian crude accounted for more than half of the country's imports, far ahead of the United Arab Emirates (10.8%), Saudi Arabia (9.6%), Venezuela (6.3%), Brazil (5.5%), Oman (5.3%), and the United States (2.9%) combined. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), India absorbed 37% of Russia's crude oil exports between December 2022 and August 2026, behind China (half) and ahead of Turkey and the EU (5% each).

On Thursday, September 17, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded through its spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal: India remains "firmly committed" to ensuring the energy security of its 1.4 billion inhabitants and will take "all necessary measures" to protect its trade interests. The ministry specifies that the subject has already been "discussed at a high level" with American interlocutors, and that its implications for the bilateral relationship as well as the international energy market have been "very clearly exposed" from the Indian side.

The Indian press emphasizes that the measure is not automatic: Trump will have to decide, country by country, whether or not to activate the customs duties. An earlier version of the text, in July, envisioned tariffs of up to 500% targeting India, China, Turkey, and Singapore, among ten countries. Beijing, also exposed, has rejected the text, denouncing "extraterritorial jurisdiction" without a mandate from the UN Security Council.

Doha, Friday, September 18, 2026. As the world's leading exporter of liquefied natural gas, Qatar is closely following the US Congress vote that paves the way for customs duties of up to 100% against countries that continue to buy Russian oil and gas. On Wednesday, September 16, the House of Representatives adopted the text introduced by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham by 262 votes to 159, after its adoption in the Senate; it is now headed to Donald Trump's desk. The law specifically targets China and India, two major customers of Russian oil, and also targets officials, banks, and the ghost fleet of tankers used by Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions.

For the Qatari press, the issue goes beyond simply punishing Moscow: it is a possible redistribution of the global energy market that is taking shape. If Asian buyers must reduce their Russian imports under penalty of tariff reprisals, alternative suppliers of LNG and oil, led by the Gulf, could benefit commercially, provided they avoid being caught up in the sanctions machinery themselves.

On Thursday, September 17, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that New Delhi remained "firmly committed" to ensuring the energy security of its 1.4 billion inhabitants through "diversified supply", and that it would take "all necessary measures" to protect its commercial interests. A position that, from Doha's perspective, illustrates the difficulty of converting the US law into a real lever: the exemption clause for countries importing less than 15% of their gas from Russia leaves room for negotiation, and nothing obliges Trump to actually apply the tariffs.

The text also extends the Iran Sanctions Act until 2031, a point closely followed in the Gulf, where the regional balance depends in part on American pressure on Tehran. For Qatari observers, the law confirms above all the willingness of Congress, reunited on this issue after more than a year of deadlock, to transform access to Russian energy into a variable of war diplomacy in Ukraine — a logic that could, in the long term, redistribute market shares to Gulf producers.

Moscow, September 18, 2026. The US House of Representatives approved on Wednesday, September 16, by 262 votes to 159, the text now called the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026", named after the Republican senator who died in August, reports Sputnik. The Senate had already validated it the previous month; the document is now heading to Donald Trump's desk. According to RT, 203 Republicans and 58 Democrats voted in favor, compared to seven Republicans and 152 Democrats.

The text authorizes the president to impose customs duties of up to 100% on countries that buy or resell Russian oil and gas. It primarily targets, RT specifies, "the five main countries facilitating the circumvention of Russian oil sanctions", with China and India expected to be among the targets. The mechanism also affects the "ghost fleet" of tankers, the Russian energy and defense sectors, as well as officials and banks, with the aim, according to the Moscow Times, of depriving Moscow of the funds used to finance its war against Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the vote as a hostile gesture. "We are of course following the progress of this text. It falls into the category of hostile actions, and the imposition of additional sanctions by the United States would certainly complicate the search for a peace settlement in Ukraine," he said, quoted by Sputnik and the Moscow Times.

Beijing reacted as early as Thursday through the voice of Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun: "China's cooperation with other countries should not be subject to the interference of third parties," he stated, adding that these exchanges are based on "equality and mutual benefit" and do not tolerate "either interference or coercion".

TASS recalls that a procedural vote had first allowed, by 214 votes to 211, the final vote to take place, and emphasizes that the text also imposes secondary sanctions on Russia's trading partners, in addition to restrictions targeting high-ranking political and military officials. Sputnik notes, meanwhile, that Lindsey Graham is listed by Russia as a "terrorist and extremist".

Kyiv, September 18, 2026. The House of Representatives adopted on Wednesday, September 16, by 262 votes to 159, the sanctions bill introduced by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, which was already voted on by the Senate in August with 86 votes to 11. The text now heads to Donald Trump's desk. It authorizes the US President to impose customs duties of up to 100% on the five largest importers of Russian oil and gas, with an exemption for countries that buy less than 15% of their gas from Russia and reduce their volumes. It also targets Russian officials, banks, and the ghost fleet of oil tankers, and extends sanctions against Iran until 2031.

In Kyiv, the vote is seen as part of the war effort rather than a commercial text. On Telegram, Volodymyr Zelensky judged it "symbolic" that the adoption came "on the night of a new Russian attack involving ballistic missiles, other missiles, and drones". According to him, civilian infrastructure was damaged in eight regions, including energy facilities in Sumy and Odessa, and residential buildings in Kyiv and Odessa: 20 injured in Kyiv, 7 in Odessa, including young children. He described the Graham bill as "an incredibly powerful tool capable of putting an end to this terrorist war and forcing Russia to establish peace".

This reading extends a call made a few hours before the vote: on Wednesday, September 16, after a drone strike that killed five people near Nikopol and damaged a locomotive in the Mykolaiv region, the Ukrainian President urged his partners to support the Graham bill and tighten European sanctions, judging that no concessions to the aggressor in the form of eased sanctions would lead to peace.

On the Russian side, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov described the vote on Thursday, September 17, as a "hostile gesture" that "will undoubtedly complicate" any peaceful settlement of the conflict. The Wall Street Journal, cited by the Ukrainian press, indicates that Trump plans to sign the text. For Kyiv, the measure directly targets the energy revenues that finance the Russian war effort, particularly through China and India, the main buyers of Russian crude.

Washington, September 18, 2026. After more than a year and a half of negotiations, the House of Representatives adopted on Wednesday, by 262 votes to 159, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, already validated by the Senate in August by 86 votes to 11. The text bears the name of the Republican senator who died suddenly in July, shortly after a trip to Kyiv where he had announced an agreement with the White House to move it forward. It is now headed to Donald Trump's desk, who has already supported it.

The law authorizes the president to impose customs duties of up to 100% on the top five buyers of Russian oil or gas, led by China and India, with an exemption for countries importing less than 15% of their gas from Russia and reducing these purchases in a "significant" way. It also sanctions Russian officials, banks, the "ghost fleet" of oil tankers, and extends the Iran Sanctions Act until 2031.

The vote blurred party lines: the Democratic leadership opposed it, fearing an extension of the president's tariff powers, while 58 Democratic lawmakers voted for it and seven Republicans against. Representatives Gregory Meeks, Don Beyer, and Richard Neal warned that the text "would do more harm than good". House Speaker Mike Johnson hailed "a powerful message of American unity".

For several analysts cited by the American press, the issue is not immediate application. Ronak D. Desai, of the Hoover Institution, anticipates that Trump "will sign this law and keep his tariff authority in reserve as a lever". The Center for Strategic and International Studies notes that the text replaces the uniform 500% customs duty of the 2025 version with "a more measured instrument". The Atlantic goes further, judging that "the text is not what it seems to be": according to the magazine, it imposes no new significant sanctions and allows Trump to lift the measures himself in the name of national interest, while restoring some of his tariff power that the Supreme Court had taken away from him in February.

China and India, which have shown no signs of wanting to reduce their purchases of Russian crude, may therefore first face diplomatic pressure held in reserve rather than immediate taxation.