Who is US Senator Lindsey Graham, and why has he threatened 100% tariffs on India?

Indian Express

9 hours ago

In continuation of the Trump administration's increasingly critical stance on Russia of late, Senator Lindsey Graham of the Republican Party criticised countries that continue to trade with Russia.
'Trump is going to impose tariffs on people that buy Russian oil – China, India, and Brazil,' Graham told Fox News in an interview. These three countries account for around 80 per cent of Russia's crude exports, which Graham argued is helping in funding the war in Ukraine.
These remarks follow similar remarks by US President Donald Trump and NATO chief Mark Rutte, who promised tough sanctions on Russia in retaliation for its continued war with Ukraine.
Graham is sponsoring a tough sanctions bill on Russia, which, if passed by Congress, would impose 500% tariffs on countries that purchase Russian oil, like China and India. Here is what to know about the Senator and the bill he is sponsoring.
Graham is a former US Air Force officer and attorney who has served as the US Senator from South Carolina's 3rd Congressional District since 2003. He is presently the chair of the Senate Budget Committee, and previously chaired the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary between 2019 and 2021.
Notably, Graham served as a member of the USAF Reserve while in Congress, and held the rank of colonel when he retired in 2015.
Not too long ago, Graham was a presidential hopeful and sought the Republican nomination in 2016, earning the endorsement of former Republican presidential candidate John McCain. While Graham had criticised Trump's candidacy at the time, he changed tack after Trump entered the White House.
He is known for his endorsement of aggressive interventionist foreign policy and sweeping immigration reform. In the past, he has been open to bipartisan consensus on issues ranging from climate change and gun control legislation, while also pushing for increased national security spending and a ban on abortion at 20 weeks.
Sponsored by Graham, the sweeping bill was introduced in the US Senate on April 1 and threatens penalties on all parties working with Russia, particularly if Trump determines that Russia is:
The bill authorises the president to impose sanctions, including blocking visas and properties as applicable on top members of the Kremlin, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Russian and Russian-origin financial institutions. It authorises economic sanctions to the tune of 500% tariffs on all imports from Russia into the US, as well as up to 500% tariffs on countries trading with the US while importing Russian-origin uranium and petroleum products.
The bill also prohibits rerouting the trade of US-origin energy products to Russia.
India has maintained a 'Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership' with Russia since 2010, with strong bilateral ties in several areas of interest, including political, security, trade and economy, defence, science and technology and culture. Sanctions targeting Russia, if realised, would invariably impact India given the extent of trade, and force it to consider other importers.
In FY 2024-25, bilateral trade between the two nations peaked at $68.7 billion, about 5.8 times the pre-pandemic trade of $10.1 billion. India maintains a trade deficit with Russia, with Russian imports, dominated by petro-oil products and fertilisers, valued at $63.84 billion, and Indian exports valued at $4.88 billion for this period. India and Russia aim to achieve $100 billion in trade by 2030.
In May 2025, India imported Russian crude oil at about 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd), its highest value in 10 months, according to a Reuters report. A significant share of this order can be credited to the $13 billion megadeal between Reliance Industries and Russia's state oil firm Rosneft last December, which would supply nearly 500,000 bpd of crude oil.
The two nations also committed to increasing bilateral investment to $50 billion by 2025. In December 2024, Russian investments in India, primarily in sectors like oil and gas, petrochemicals, steel and banking, were valued at $20 billion. Indian investments in Russia were valued at $16 billion in October 2023.
China is Russia's largest trading partner, with trade valued at $237 billion in 2024, according to Chinese customs data cited in a Reuters report. Brazil also counts Russia as one of its 15 top trading partners, with bilateral trade in 2022 valued at $9.8 billion.
How the bill is progressing
The momentum on the bill picked up earlier this month, even as President Trump expressed his frustration with the perceived non-compliance of Russia in ending its three-year-long war with Ukraine.
Until about a month ago, Trump had described Putin as a 'nice gentleman', while calling his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy a 'dictator' who was toying with World War III. However, he took a step back from this position last week, saying he was 'disappointed' with Putin, even as he was 'not done with him'. Trump also said he planned to send weapons to Ukraine, after halting American military supplies to the country after entering the White House in January.
Putin has long expressed his interest in retaining control of the Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia, barring Ukrainian entry to NATO (seen as a threat to Russian sovereignty), and replacing Zelenskyy with a Russia-friendly president. For Trump, the failure to end the war dents his image as a dealmaker, who can bring countries to the table for negotiations that seemingly favour his America First agenda.
The rhetoric from Graham aside, it may be a while before the bill sees the light of day. According to Politico reporting, the bill in its current form would require layers of congressional approval for the US President to introduce sanctions. However, Trump has often favoured an autocratic style of governance that bypasses congressional approval. The report suggested that Team Trump would favour revising the bill accordingly.