US President Donald Trump issued a strong message to the global community, warning that any country engaging in business with Russia will face serious repercussions under new and tougher sanctions being advanced by his administration and Republican lawmakers.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump responded to questions about whether Congress should accelerate legislation aimed at increasing pressure on Russia and President Vladimir Putin. “I hear they’re doing that, and that’s okay with me,” he said, signaling his support for more aggressive measures.
He added, “They’re passing legislation… the Republicans are putting in legislation… very tough sanctioning… on any country doing business with Russia. They may add Iran to that… I suggested it.”
Trump emphasized the message again, stating, “So any country that does business with Russia will be very severely sanctioned. We may add Iran to the formula.”
The administration has already taken significant steps. US tariffs on India currently stand among the world’s highest, with 50 percent overall tariffs, including 25 percent tariffs on Indian purchases of Russian energy.
Meanwhile, legislation led by Senator Lindsey Graham proposes a staggering 500 percent tariff on secondary purchases and reselling of Russian oil—a move with nearly unanimous backing from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Graham and Senator Richard Blumenthal have also pushed forward the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, which would penalize countries that continue to finance what they describe as “Putin’s barbaric war in Ukraine.” More than 85 senators have cosponsored the bill.
In a statement earlier this year, Graham and Blumenthal said, “President Trump and his team have made a powerful move, implementing a new approach to end this bloodbath between Russia and Ukraine… However, the ultimate hammer to bring about the end of this war will be tariffs against countries, like China, India and Brazil, that prop up Putin’s war machine by purchasing cheap Russian oil and gas.”
