India, meanwhile, said that it remained firmly committed to ensuring energy security for its people and will continue to source supplies from diverse sellers based on market dynamics after the US made a new move to punish such buyers.
The Donald Trump administration has sent a blunt message to India and China: Reduce reliance on Russian oil and gas or risk facing unprecedented economic penalties from the United States. Addressing the media after the passage of the Russia Sanctions Bill in the US Congress, Republican Senator Richard Blumenthal warned New Delhi and Beijing to ‘get their act together’ and buy their energy from ‘somewhere else.’
“To China and India: You better clean up your act. Buy your oil and gas somewhere else. Appeasement is not a strategy,” he said.
India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer, is among the biggest buyers of Russian oil, which is seen as helping Moscow replenish its budget since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and was hit with sweeping Western sanctions.
Blumenthal, who wrote the bill with late Senator Lindsey Graham, said he hopes the sanctions will help force Putin to the negotiating table and end the war.
“To Vladimir Putin — we have your number. And to Ukraine — you are not alone,” Blumenthal said.
The Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 aims to sanction Russian officials, banks and a shadow fleet of tankers that keeps Russian energy moving. It also directs Trump to impose up to 100 per cent tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas — including India and China– with an exception for countries that import less than 15 per cent of Russia’s natural gas exports and have taken significant steps to reduce those imports.
The legislation was approved by the House in a 262-159 vote on Wednesday and will now go to Trump to be signed into law.
India’s Reaction
India, meanwhile, said that it remained firmly committed to ensuring energy security for its people and will continue to source supplies from diverse sellers based on market dynamics after the US made a new move to punish such buyers.
New Delhi also said that it had warned Washington that any such new moves could impact ties between the two countries.
The foreign ministry said that it had noted the passage of the bill, adding that New Delhi had raised the issue with various U.S. interlocutors in recent months, and had “very clearly articulated” the potential implications for the bilateral relationship and the international energy market.
