US Senator Lindsey Graham has warned that countries like India, China, and Brazil, all BRICS members could face sharp economic sanctions if they “keep buying cheap Russian oil.”Speaking on Fox News, Graham said, “I would tell China, India & Brazil. If you keep buying cheap Russian oil, to allow this war to continue, we will tariff the hell out of you,” calling for tougher action to cut off Russia’s revenue amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.“And we’re going to crush your economy, because what you are doing is blood money” he added.His comments come amid escalating rhetoric in the US against countries seen as financially supporting Russia during its ongoing war in Ukraine. Graham’s statement aligns with broader Republican pressure on US allies and trade partners to isolate Moscow economically.US President Donald Trump, speaking alongside Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, echoed this hardline stance. He announced that the US would impose 100 percent “secondary tariffs” on nations that continue buying Russian oil and gas if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to a peace deal within the next 50 days.Trump, visibly frustrated with Putin, said, “My conversations with him are very pleasant, and then the missiles go off at night.” He emphasised that these tariffs were not the end goal but a means to bring Putin to the negotiating table.“He’s fooled a lot of people,” Trump said of Putin, who he called a “tough guy.” “He fooled Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden – he didn’t fool me,” Trump said.“We’re going to be doing secondary tariffs,” he added.Also read:Russia oil squeeze: Trump’s 100% tariff threat – should India panic?Earlier, US Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal had warned that these countries could face economic sanctions if they continue trading with Russia.Graham and Blumenthal, who belong to different political parties, have introduced a bill in the US Congress earlier this year, that proposes tough sanctions on Russia.“We’ll continue to push for Senator Graham & my Russia Sanctions bill with even tougher penalties to deter India, China, Brazil & others from fueling Putin’s war machine. Congressional action sends a powerful message of support,” Senator Blumenthal posted on X.The bill proposes imposing tariffs as high as 500 percent of countries that continue buying Russian energy exports. In a joint statement, the Senators argued that nations like India, China, and Brazil are indirectly financing the war by purchasing heavily discounted Russian oil and gas.“The ultimate hammer to bring about the end of this war will be tariffs against countries, like China, India and Brazil, that prop up Putin’s war machine by purchasing cheap Russian oil and gas. President Trump’s decision to announce the implementation of 100 percent secondary tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil and gas if a peace agreement is not reached in the next 50 days is a real executive hammer to drive the parties to the negotiating table. The goal is not more tariffs and sanctions – the goal is to entice Putin to come to the peace table,” the statement read. “Finally, as President Trump indicated, we will join our colleagues in continuing to work with the White House on our bipartisan Russia sanctions legislation that would implement up to 500 percent tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil and gas and do not help Ukraine,” it added.India, a major buyer of Russian oil since the start of the Ukraine conflict, has defended its position, citing energy security and economic stability. Earlier, External affairs minister S Jaishankar said that Indian officials have already been in touch with Senator Graham over the proposed legislation.US is ramping up pressure not only on Russia but also on its trading partners. Trump’s move is part of a wider Republican plan to squeeze Putin’s war finances and accelerate a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, which has now lasted more than three years.Also read: EU restrictions on Russian oil could hit India’s $15 billion fuel exports; ‘will have to walk a fine line…’
