A bipartisan U.S. sanctions bill targeting countries that buy Russian energy — backed by President Trump and 84 senators — has drawn sharp pushback from China, which is vowing to keep buying Russian oil no matter what Washington says.
Story Snapshot
- The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 has 84 Senate and 151 House cosponsors and gives Trump authority to hit Russian energy buyers with tariffs up to 200%.
- The revised bill cuts the maximum tariff on top buyers like China and India from 500% down to 100%, while still targeting Russian energy projects that fund the war in Ukraine.
- China is pushing back hard, calling the bill illegal “unilateral bullying” — but has not disputed the fact that it is one of Russia’s biggest oil customers.
- Chinese state oil companies briefly paused Russian oil imports to assess the risk, signaling the tariff threat carries real economic weight.
A Bipartisan Push to Squeeze Russia’s War Chest
The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, known as Senate Bill 1241, was introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). It has grown into one of the most broadly supported pieces of legislation in recent memory, drawing cosponsors from both parties. The bill’s core goal is simple: cut off the money Russia uses to keep fighting in Ukraine by making it costly for other countries to buy Russian oil and gas.
President Trump approved the bill’s framework in January 2026. The updated version, revised as of July 2026, reduces the top tariff threat on the five biggest Russian energy buyers — China, India, Slovakia, Hungary, and Azerbaijan — from 500% down to 100%. Trump retains authority to impose tariffs up to 200% depending on the circumstances. The bill also targets specific Russian energy projects, including Yamal liquefied natural gas and Arctic liquefied natural gas, which funnel revenue directly into Russia’s military machine.
China Calls It Illegal — But Keeps Buying
Beijing wasted no time firing back. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian called the U.S. move “typical of unilateral bullying and economic coercion,” claiming it “seriously undermines international economic and trade rules.” A second spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, added that China “consistently opposes unilateral sanctions” that lack approval from the United Nations Security Council. China frames its energy deals with Russia as “justified, legitimate and beyond reproach.”
What China has not done is dispute the basic facts. Beijing has not challenged the bill’s data showing China is one of Russia’s top oil customers. It has not offered any independent audit showing Russian energy money stays out of the war effort. Its legal objection — that the U.S. lacks a United Nations blessing — is a talking point, not a binding court ruling. Meanwhile, China has publicly said it plans to expand its energy cooperation with Moscow, making its “principled” opposition look a lot more like self-interest.
Tariff Threat Is Already Biting
The pressure appears to be working, at least in part. Reports show that Chinese state oil companies, including PetroChina and Sinopec, paused Russian oil imports to assess the tariff risk after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that ongoing purchases “could result in significant tariffs.” That pause is notable. It shows that even without the bill passing into law, the threat of 100% to 200% tariffs is enough to make the world’s largest Russian oil buyer think twice.
🚨 The US Senate unveiled a revised Russia sanctions bill proposing tariffs of up to 100% on countries importing Russian energy, including India and China.#USA #Russia #India #China #TTVNews pic.twitter.com/wCRODZ0dPj
— TTV NEWS CHANNEL (@TTVNEWSCHA75532) July 15, 2026
The bill does include some flexibility. European countries and gas buyers importing less than 15% of their supply from Russia — and actively cutting back — can apply for waivers. That narrowly tailored carve-out makes the bill harder to dismiss as a blunt instrument. It targets the biggest offenders while giving allies a path to comply. China, which has no intention of reducing its Russian energy purchases, gets no such relief. That is not an oversight — it is the point. Russia’s war in Ukraine depends on oil revenue, and China is one of the biggest reasons that revenue keeps flowing.
Sources:
insiderpaper.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com, reuters.com, bbc.com, energynow.com, aa.com.tr
