Congress demands Piyush Goyal clarify India's stance on US bill proposing 100% tariff over Russian oil purchases

Besides India, China, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan also face 100% U.S. tariff under proposed legislation; 15 European countries importing Russian gas exempted

Published: July 15, 2026 09:49 pm IST – New Delhi By: The Hindu Bureau

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal. | Photo Credit: ANI

The Congress on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) asked Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to clarify the Centre’s position after a bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced a Bill proposing 100% tariffs on imports from India and four other countries for continuing to purchase Russian oil.

• The proposed legislation, initiated by Republican Senator late Lindsey Graham, seeks to impose punitive tariffs on India, China, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan.
• It exempts 15 European countries that continue to import Russian gas, arguing that such imports account for only a small share of their energy needs and that they are reducing their dependence on Moscow.

Congress media and publicity department chairman Pawan Khera questioned the government’s response to the development and said Mr. Goyal should explain its implications for India.

“These are not House Democrats. These are Republican senators, backed by President Donald Trump, demanding 100% tariffs on India and four other countries for buying Russian oil,” Mr. Khera said in a post on X.

He added that India was being “humiliated” by the threat of punitive tariffs for pursuing its energy interests.

If enacted, the legislation would mark the first instance of the U.S. Congress explicitly authorising tariffs as a geopolitical instrument to penalise countries accused of financing another nation’s war effort.