Congress asks Piyush Goyal to clarify proposed US law on 100% tariff on India’s purchase of Russian oil

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. | Photo credit: ANI

Congress on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) asked Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to clarify the Centre’s position after a bipartisan group of US senators introduced a bill proposing 100% tariffs on imports from India and four other countries for continuing to buy Russian crude.

The proposed legislation, initiated by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, seeks to impose punitive tariffs on India, China, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan.

It exempts 15 European countries that continue to import Russian gas, arguing that such imports make up only a small proportion of their energy needs and that they are reducing their dependence on Moscow.

Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera questioned the government’s response to the development and said Mr Goyal should explain its implications for India.

“These are not House Democrats. They are Republican senators, backed by President Donald Trump, demanding 100% tariffs on India and four other countries for buying Russian oil,” Khera said in a post on X.

He added that India had been “humiliated” by the threat of punitive tariffs for pursuing its energy interests.

If passed, the legislation would mark the first instance of the US Congress explicitly authorizing tariffs as a geopolitical tool to penalize countries accused of financing another nation’s war effort.

Published – 15 Jul 2026 21:49 IST