Trump approves bill allowing up to 500% tariffs on India

US President Donald Trump has given approval for a bill that could impose tariffs of up to 500% on India for purchasing oil from Russia, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said.

The legislation, if passed, would also give the White House authority to levy similar tariffs on imports from countries such as China and Brazil, reports Al Jazeera.

Speaking on Wednesday (January 7), Senator Graham said he received a “very productive” briefing with Trump before the President gave the bill a green light.

The bipartisan measure, named the Sanctioning Russia Act, co-sponsored by Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, would empower the US to impose steep tariffs on imports from nations trading with Russia’s energy sector.

Graham said the bill would allow Trump to punish countries buying cheap Russian oil, which he said funds Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. “This gives the President leverage over nations including China, India, and Brazil to halt purchases of Russian oil that fuels Putin’s bloody war,” Graham added.