After the United States announced that President Donald Trump can impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on India, China and other countries that continue to purchase Russian oil and gas, the Kremlin said on Thursday that further such moves would make it harder to reach a peace deal in Ukraine.
The U.S. sanctions bill targets Russia's energy and defence industries, as well as its "shadow fleet" of tankers that evade existing sanctions, in order to deprive Moscow of revenues to finance the war with Ukraine. It also authorises Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on China, India and other countries to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and gas.
India has warned Washington that new measures to levy tariffs over the purchase of Russian oil could impact bilateral ties.
"We are, of course, monitoring the progress of this document. It falls under the category of unfriendly actions, and of course the imposition of any additional sanctions by the U.S. would certainly complicate efforts to find a peace settlement in Ukraine," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
U.S.-mediated efforts to end the 4-1/2-year Ukraine war have been stalled for months, but President Donald Trump sent two envoys to Moscow and Kyiv earlier this month in an effort to get the process moving again.
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a sweeping sanctions package intended to increase economic pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine, sending the bill to President Donald Trump to sign into law.
As per its backers, the bill, a rare piece of legislation to pass with significant support from both parties, will send an essential message to Russia and the world that Washington continues to support Ukraine, helping to force Moscow to negotiate.
"Today, we are now one step closer to securing Lindsey's vision of enduring peace in Ukraine and beyond," Republican Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, a lead sponsor of the legislation, told the press conference after the House vote.
