'Closely following developments’: India watches proposed US tariff bill on Russian oil buyers; what MEA said

India on Friday said it is closely monitoring developments around a proposed US legislation that seeks to impose steep tariffs of up to 500% on countries procuring Russian crude oil, amid growing pressure from Washington, PTI reported.

“We are aware of the proposed bill. We are closely following the developments,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.




The proposed legislation, authored by US Senator Lindsey Graham, targets countries that continue to buy Russian oil and resell it, with India and China among the largest current purchasers. Graham said earlier this week that President Donald Trump has green-lighted the bill.

India has consistently defended its decision to import Russian crude, arguing that it is guided by market conditions and the country’s energy security needs. “Our position on the larger question of energy sourcing is well known,” Jaiswal said.

“In this endeavour, we are guided by the evolving dynamics of the global market and by the imperative to secure affordable energy from diverse sources to meet the energy security needs of our 1.4 billion people,” he added.

Graham, outlining the intent of the bill, said it would give President Trump “tremendous leverage” over countries such as India, China and Brazil to discourage them from buying discounted Russian oil, which he claimed was financing Russia’s war in Ukraine. The proposed legislation provides for a 500% tariff on secondary purchases and resale of Russian oil.

The issue has gained traction amid reports that India has begun trimming its Russian oil imports. Earlier this week, Graham said Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra had informed him that New Delhi was reducing purchases and had asked him to convey to President Trump a request to “relieve the tariff” imposed on India.

The US has been pressing India to cut back on Russian crude imports, arguing that Moscow is using oil revenues to fund its war effort. India, however, ramped up purchases of discounted Russian oil after Western nations imposed sanctions on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

As a result, Russia’s share in India’s total crude oil imports has risen sharply—from just 1.7% in 2019-20 to 35.1% in 2024-25.