Trump Vows to Use New Tariff Law to End Russia-Ukraine War — SkimNews
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- Trump told the 81st UN General Assembly he would use, if necessary, his new tariff authorities to end the Russia-Ukraine war, characterizing casualties as 'tens of thousands of people per month'
- The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, signed by Trump days earlier, permits tariffs of up to 100% on the top five importers of Russian crude oil and gas — explicitly naming China and India
- The Act layers additional sanctions on Russia's leadership, energy sector, defense industry collaborators, and Moscow's so-called shadow fleet beyond the tariff mechanism
- The Act carves out narrow exemptions for Russian uranium purchases supplying US nuclear reactors and medical isotopes, alongside activities under US-Russia space cooperation
- India responded to the new US framework by reaffirming its commitment to energy security for its 1.4 billion people through 'diversified sourcing,' declining to commit to compliance
Why it matters: China and India — the world's two largest energy consumers and the top remaining customers for discounted Russian crude — now face a binary choice between cheap Russian oil and access to the US market, with Trump holding a ready-to-fire 100% tariff weapon. The Act's carveouts (uranium, space) show Washington is targeting war-funding specifically, leaving the energy-purchase lever as the primary pressure point on Moscow.
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