The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said the Centre has noted the passage of the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act in the US Congress and added that it is monitoring further developments on this matter. As stated on several earlier occasions, India remains firmly committed to ensuring energy security for its 1.4 billion people. It will continue to do so through diversified sourcing and on the basis of evolving market dynamics, the MEA said.
Here's what MEA said on Russia sanctions legislation
The MEA on Russia sanctions legislation said that the Centre will work with Indian trade amf industry bodies to deal with implications.
The development comes as the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would authorise President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Russia and steep tariffs on its trading partners in oil and gas, including India and China.
Known as the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, the bill was passed by the US Senate last month and was approved by the House in a 262-159 vote on Wednesday evening and will now go to Trump to be signed into a law.
Who voted in favour of Russia sanctions legislation
Apart from the 203 Republicans, 58 Democrats and one Independent voted in favour of the legislation. Seven Republicans and 152 Democrats opposed it. Moreover, the Democratic opposition largely centred around the tariff authorities provided to Trump.
The new bill is named after Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who died in July after spending more than a year building support for it.
"What we're not for is giving more tariff authority to this president," Congressman Richard Neal, a Democrat, said during debate on the bill. The new bill seeks to impose sanctions not only on Russia's leadership and energy sector, but also on the "shadow fleet" of vessels that enable Moscow to evade sanctions on oil deliveries.
New bill seeks to authorise Trump to impose tariffs on China, India
The new bill also seeks to authorise Trump to impose stiff tariffs on China, India and other countries to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and gas, as well as additional sanctions on Iran. "China and India, you better buy your oil and gas somewhere else," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, told reporters after the passage of the Bill.
It is significant to note that the passage of the bill comes days ahead of China's President Xi Jinping's official visit to the US. Notably, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill by a vote of 86-11 last month, but momentum slowed in the House. Significantly, the passage of the bill in the House came on the final day that the House is expected to be in session for votes before the November 3 elections.
The vote on the bill is happening at a time when pro-Ukraine groups have stepped up efforts to lobby support for their cause. The Ukraine Action Summit, organised by the American Coalition for Ukraine, is underway to lobby with US lawmakers for continued support of Kyiv.