A new bill has been passed in the US Senate. If the bill passed on Friday becomes law, US President Donald Trump will be able to impose a 100 percent tariff on India. In fact, in addition to imposing restrictions on Russia, the bill also calls for legal action against all countries that buy oil from Russia. Although New Delhi has previously stated that national interests come first. Therefore, India will buy fuel from Russia. That is, US blindfolding will not work.
Last year, the recently deceased US Senator Lindsey Graham, who was against India, had said in a strong tone that a 500 percent tariff would be imposed on those who buy oil from Russia despite US sanctions. Although the bill was ultimately not implemented. However, after Graham’s death, the White House took action on this bill. This time it was passed in the Senate by a vote of 86-11.
What exactly does the bill say? It says that countries that buy oil or any other fuel from Russia are actually indirectly supporting Russia’s attack on Ukraine. America can impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on these countries. This could cause problems not only for India or China, but also for countries like Japan, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, and Hungary. The bill will now be presented to the House of Representatives. If it is passed there, only Trump’s signature is needed to make it a law. That is, in all, this bill is going to be converted into a law within a few weeks.
It is worth mentioning that US President Donald Trump has been accusing Delhi of ‘supporting Russian aggression against Ukraine’ for a long time. When a question was raised on this issue in a recent interview, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar gave a stern reply to his face. He said in clear terms that attacks have been carried out with European-made weapons for years. However, India has not taken any steps that would cause any harm to Europe. Informed sources are certain that India will remain steadfast in its position even under the new US law.