A bill empowering U.S. President Trump to impose a 100 percent tariff on countries including India and China, in an effort to prevent them from buying crude oil from Russia, was passed in that country's parliament.
Earlier, the bill had been passed last month in the upper house of the U.S. Congress (the Senate), and it has now also been passed in the lower house (the House of Representatives). Once U.S. President Trump signs it, the bill will become law.
The war between Ukraine and Russia has been going on for more than four years. In this war, the United States and European countries have been providing Ukraine with weapons assistance and other support. In addition, those countries have imposed various sanctions to economically pressure Russia. Crude oil export trade is a major source of support for Russia’s economy. As a result, the United States has also imposed a ban on countries importing crude oil from Russia.
At the same time, because war is taking place between Iran and the United States in West Asia, crude oil tanker traffic has been affected. As a result, to prevent shortages of petrol and diesel, the United States has temporarily allowed some countries, including India, to import crude oil from Russia.
In this situation, a bill was introduced in the U.S. Congress that would authorize President Trump to impose a 100 percent tariff on Russia, as well as on countries including India and China that import crude oil from Russia. The bill, named after Lindsey O. Graham, the South Carolina MP who died last July and had strongly rallied support for the measure, was passed by the Senate last month. Following this, the bill had been sent to the lower house, the U.S. House of Representatives, for approval.
Vote: A vote was held on the bill in the House of Representatives on Wednesday evening. In it, 262 MPs voted in favor of the bill. 159 MPs voted against the bill. Among those who voted in favor were 203 MPs from the ruling Republican Party and 58 MPs from the opposition Democratic Party. One independent MP also voted in favor. Among the MPs who voted against it, 7 were Republican Party MPs and 152 were Democratic Party MPs.
If the majority of MPs in the House of Representatives voted in favor, the bill was declared passed. Following this, the bill was sent for President Trump’s approval. Once Trump gives his approval to the bill, it will become law.
With the Lindsey O. Graham bill set to become law, Trump can impose sanctions on the Russian leadership (the President), as well as on Russia’s energy sector and on ships that Russia indirectly uses for crude oil trade. In addition, Trump can impose a 100 percent tariff on India, China, and other countries that import crude oil from Russia, and can also impose additional economic sanctions on Iran.
Speaking about the bill being passed, Democratic Party Senate MP Richard Blumenthal warned that it would be better for India and China to import crude oil and gas from any other country.
Another Democratic Senator, Jeanne Shaheen, said that Russia is selling crude oil at low prices using its shadow fleet, and that most of that crude is going to countries like China and India. She also said that China imports the most crude oil from Russia, and that the time has come to warn that China, as well as countries buying crude oil from Russia, will have to pay a heavy price.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is planning to visit the United States soon. It is noteworthy that this bill has been passed in both houses of the U.S. Congress in this context.