The legislation, which would allow the president to impose tariffs on countries buying Russian energy, could drive American gasoline prices \u201cever-higher,\u201d the Russian Embassy has said<\/p>\n
The \u201cRussophobic\u201d new sanctions bill empowering US President Donald Trump to impose steep tariffs on buyers of Russian energy will lead to ever-higher prices at the pumps for Americans, the Russian Embassy in Washington has warned.
\nThe legislation was championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, a Russia hawk and staunch Ukraine supporter who pushed for \u201ccrushing sanctions\u201d on Moscow before his unexpected death this summer. Named \u2018The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026\u2019 in his honor, the bill allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from major buyers of Russian oil and gas, potentially including China and India, and additional sanctions on Russia and Iran. It cleared\u00a0the House on Wednesday, removing the final congressional hurdle before reaching Trump, who has said he plans to sign it.
\nThe Russian Embassy in Washington on Friday warned the legislation will likely backfire on American consumers, particularly as Middle Eastern energy supplies are already disrupted by the US war on Iran.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Further US sanctions would complicate Ukraine peace efforts \u2013 Kremlin<\/p>\n
\u201cRussophobic instinct underlying the late Senator Graham\u2019s bill\u2026 makes a grand disservice to the current Administration\u2019s efforts to Make America Great Again,\u201d the embassy wrote on X. \u201cDestabilizing energy markets by blocking Russian oil and gas trade as Mideast supply is dramatically cut is an invitation to ever-higher prices at the pump close to midterm November elections.\u201d
\nThe embassy also warned that targeting major buyers of Russian energy could deepen tensions between Washington on one side and Moscow and Beijing on the other. It argued that the legislation runs counter to the Trump administration\u2019s diplomatic efforts with Moscow and that simultaneously confronting Russia and China would create a geopolitical \u201close-lose\u201d situation for Washington.<\/p>\n
Russophobic instinct underlying the late Senator Graham\u2019s bill approved by the House on September 16th (and earlier by the Senate) makes a grand disservice to the current Administration\u2019s efforts to Make America Great Again.Destabilizing energy markets by blocking Russian oil\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/TQR4fFxD5C\u2014 Russian Embassy in USA \ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\uddfa (@RusEmbUSA) September 18, 2026 <\/p>\n
US gasoline prices are already under pressure from the Middle East energy crisis. US gasoline averages $4.43-$4.44 a gallon, over $1.10 more than a year ago, while diesel has hit a record $6.40 nationwide, jumping 77 cents in the first half of September alone.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
India vows \u2018determined\u2019 response to US sanctions pressure<\/p>\n
Disruptions to tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for Gulf oil exports, have constrained\u00a0supplies, while instability around the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait due to Iran-allied Yemeni Houthi advances has threatened another major shipping route. Crude prices have climbed above $100 a barrel, raising concerns about further increases at the pump if disruptions persist.
\nChina and India, the largest buyers of Russian energy, have opposed the bill and defended their purchases. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Thursday that Beijing rejects Washington\u2019s \u201clong-arm jurisdiction\u201d as lacking a basis in international law. India has warned that tariffs over Russian oil purchases could affect US-India ties and vowed to \u201ctake all necessary measures to protect its trade and economic interests.\u201d<\/p>\n
READ MORE: The West is watching the wrong Ukrainian collapse<\/p>\n
Moscow has long denounced Western energy sanctions as illegal and self-defeating, arguing that they redirect Russian exports while forcing Western countries toward more expensive supplies. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned this week that additional US sanctions would make reaching a settlement of the Ukraine\u00a0conflict more difficult.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The legislation, which would allow the president to impose tariffs on countries buying Russian energy, could drive American gasoline prices \u201cever-higher,\u201d the Russian Embassy has said The \u201cRussophobic\u201d new sanctions…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38404,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t