Sixty US senators have now signed on to a bill that would let the Trump administration slap tariffs of up to 100% on the countries that buy the most Russian oil or natural gas. Its name is the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026.
Supporters say President Donald Trump backs it and that it could pass before August, ABP Live reported. John Thune, the Republican majority leader in the Senate, is among its key backers.
Who it targets
The bill covers the five largest purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas, plus five countries judged to be helping Russia evade sanctions. Senators clarified earlier in the week that the oil buyers named are China, India, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan. The US Trade Representative (USTR) would set the exact tariff rate.
India’s position is the sharpest. Hindustan Times reported on the bill’s terms, and ABP Live noted that India’s imports of Russian crude hit a record in June, up 34% month-on-month. The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air valued those purchases at 4.5 billion Euros for the month, roughly 36% of Russia’s exports. That made India the second-largest buyer of Russian crude, behind China. Also in June, Washington let a general licence expire that had allowed countries, India among them, to buy energy without drawing US sanctions.
Exemptions and a waiver
European allies that keep importing Russian natural gas can be spared. According to a summary from the backing senators, the bill exempts countries whose Russian natural gas imports account for less than 15 percent of Russia’s total natural gas exports and that are taking significant steps to reduce those imports. American purchases of low-enriched uranium for US nuclear reactors are exempt too.
The USTR would have to reassess the top five purchasers every 180 days. It could change tariff rates if buying habits shift.
The president would also hold a waiver. He could suspend sanctions and duties on a country by sending Congress a justification and certifying that doing so serves the national interest.
A smaller version of the 2025 bill
This bill is a revised version of the 2025 Sanctioning Russia Act, which was introduced in the Senate in April last year. That earlier proposal called for tariffs of up to 500% on countries buying Russian energy, India included. The new text lowers the ceiling to 100% and narrows its reach to the five largest buyers rather than a wider group of countries.
