Every day a fresh challenge: Congress on Trump's new tariff threat

The Congress on Thursday said India-United States relations are passing through “turbulent times”, warning that every day has become a “fresh challenge” after US President Donald Trump backed a sanctions bill that could impose 500 per cent tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil.

Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said the bilateral relationship is witnessing what he described as a “new abnormal”, despite what he called attempts at appeasement by the Indian leadership.

“Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Trump, is pushing a Bill that will impose vast new sanctions on India for its trade and other ties with Russia. Earlier, Senator Bernie Moreno had introduced a Bill that proposes a 25 per cent tax on American companies that make outsourcing payments,” Ramesh said in a post on X.

He added that India’s discomfort had increased as Trump continued to praise Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
“There is undoubtedly a ‘new abnormal’ in the bilateral relationship. Every day is a fresh challenge, appeasing posts from the PM notwithstanding,” Ramesh said.

The remarks came after Trump backed a bipartisan sanctions proposal that could authorise the US administration to levy punitive tariffs — as high as 500 per cent — on countries that continue to buy Russian oil, a move aimed at increasing pressure on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Senator Graham said the proposed legislation would give the White House “tremendous leverage” over countries such as India, China and Brazil.

“After a very productive meeting today with President Trump on a variety of issues, he greenlit the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that I have been working on for months with Senator Richard Blumenthal and many others,” Graham said in a post on X.

“This bill will allow President Trump to punish those countries that buy cheap Russian oil, fuelling Putin’s war machine,” he added, saying he hoped for a strong bipartisan vote on the legislation as early as next week.

Trump has already imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India — among the highest applied to any country — including 25 per cent levies linked to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian energy.

Earlier this week, Graham said Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra had informed him that India was reducing its imports of Russian oil and had asked him to convey to President Trump a request for easing the tariffs imposed on India.

Speaking alongside Trump aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Graham reiterated that ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict required putting pressure on President Vladimir Putin’s key customers.

“The US put a 25 per cent tariff on India for buying Russian oil,” Graham said, after Trump remarked that the sanctions were hurting Russia and referred to India in that context.

The Congress has maintained that the recent developments underline growing uncertainty in India-US ties, with Ramesh warning that the emerging pattern reflects a shift from normal diplomatic engagement to what he called a period of persistent instability in the relationship.