NEW DELHI, Jan 8: The Congress on Thursday said the India-US relationship is going through “turbulent times” and each day is a “fresh challenge” as US President Donald Trump backed a sanctions bill that could impose 500 per cent tariffs on countries buying Russian oil.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said the India-US ties are seeing a “new abnormal”, notwithstanding posts of appeasement from the Indian prime minister.
“Senator Lindsay 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,” he said on X.
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To add to India’s extreme discomfiture, President Trump continues to shower lavish praise on Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir, the Congress leader said. “There is undoubtedly a ‘new abnormal’ in the bilateral relationship. Every day is a fresh challenge, appeasing posts from the PM notwithstanding.”
Trump has backed a sanctions bill that could impose 500 per cent tariffs on nations buying Russian oil, giving the White House leverage against countries like China and India to stop them from purchasing cheap oil from Moscow.
US Senator Lindsey Graham on Wednesday said the legislation would give the White House “tremendous leverage” against countries like China, India and Brazil to incentivise them to stop buying cheap oil from Russia.
“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 Blumenthal and many others,” Graham said in a post on X Wednesday.
“This will be well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace, and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent. This bill will allow President Trump to punish those countries that buy cheap Russian oil, fuelling Putin’s war machine,” he said.
Graham said he looks forward to a strong bipartisan vote on the bill, hopefully as early as next week.
Trump has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, among the highest in the world, including 25 per cent levies for its purchases of Russian energy.
Earlier this week, Graham had said that Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra informed him about New Delhi reducing its purchases of Russian oil and asked him to convey to President Donald Trump to relieve the tariff imposed on India.
Graham, accompanying Trump on Air Force One on Sunday, was talking about his tariff bill.
He said that to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, pressure must be put on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s customers. Trump said the sanctions are hurting Russia very badly and then mentioned India. Graham then said that the US put a 25 per cent tariff on India for buying Russian oil. (PTI)
