'Geopolitical madness': Ex-foreign secretary blasts US push to punish India, China over Russian oil

Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal has criticised the growing pressure from the United States on countries like India and China to halt energy imports from Russia, calling the proposed punitive measures "geopolitical madness."

"What if China and India continue to buy Russian oil? 100% tariffs on China and India. Destroy the relationship with India for the sake of Ukraine? Geopolitical madness," Sibal posted on Tuesday.

His remarks came amid growing debate over the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, a proposed bipartisan US sanctions bill that aims to impose sweeping penalties on countries that continue purchasing Russian-origin energy products.

The legislation, introduced by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and co-sponsored by Democrat Richard Blumenthal, includes a 500 per cent tariff on imports from countries like India and China, whose energy trade with Moscow is seen as indirectly funding the Kremlin's war in Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump has said he is "strongly considering" supporting the bill. "It's totally my option. They pass it, and I terminate it—totally at my option. And I’m looking at it very strongly," he said at a Cabinet meeting.

Investor Karl Mehta earlier posted that Trump had set a 50-day deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to peace terms. Failing that, the US would activate "100% secondary tariffs" that would hit countries purchasing Russian exports, particularly oil. "Trump essentially created a binary choice: Russian energy or access to American markets," Mehta wrote.

China currently imports 73% of Russia’s oil, while India is the second-largest buyer. Under the proposed tariff regime, both nations could face significant trade consequences if they do not scale down energy imports from Russia.

Senator Graham called the legislation a "breakthrough" and confirmed that Trump had encouraged lawmakers to press ahead. "If you are buying energy from Russia and not helping Ukraine, your goods will face a 500% tariff coming into the United States," Graham said.

In addition to the Russia-focused sanctions, Trump has announced a wider set of tariffs. A 35 per cent tariff on Canadian imports will take effect on August 1, with threats of escalation. Other nations—like the Philippines, Moldova, Libya, and Sri Lanka—are also on the list of new trade targets, though their direct trade exposure to the US is limited.

The proposed sanctions on Russian oil buyers, if enacted, would mark a significant escalation in global trade tensions, with potentially major implications for India's energy policy.