Overview
- Senator Lindsey Graham warned on Fox News that President Trump will impose 100% tariffs on oil imports from India, China and Brazil if they persist in buying discounted Russian crude.
- India, China and Brazil together account for nearly 80% of discounted Russian oil exports—deals characterized by Graham as “blood money” sustaining Putin’s war machine.
- The bipartisan Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, proposing up to 500% duties on secondary buyers, remains pending in the Senate during disputes over enforcement mandates and presidential waiver authority.
- The Trump administration’s 50-day ultimatum to Moscow, issued July 14, remains active with continued US weapons shipments to Ukraine.
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reinforced the threat of secondary sanctions, aligning allied pressure on major oil purchasers to push Russia toward peace negotiations.