US offers India energy help as Trump signs Russia sanctions law — SkimNews
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- Trump signed the 'Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026' into law last week, authorizing tariffs of up to 100% on countries buying Russian oil and gas, with India and China explicitly named as targets.
- A senior US State Department official said Washington wants to help meet India's energy needs as it diversifies, acknowledging Congress's tough public line on India but adding: 'There is no sort of hard feelings on any of that kind of activity.'
- The official called the law a 'new tool in the toolbox' for Trump, but said it is unclear how or when it will be used, and pointed to a broad national security waiver that the president could also deploy.
- The United States is positioning itself as an energy supplier, with the official noting the US is now the largest exporter of LPG and the second-largest exporter of LNG and that it is increasing hydrocarbon exports.
- The official cited Trump's 'incredibly successful operation in Venezuela' as opening new supply for countries like India, noting India previously had refineries there that were damaged under the Maduro regime.
- India had been working to diversify its energy basket even before the war, and energy discussions will continue between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Secretary Marco Rubio, the official said.
Why it matters: The law gives Trump a dual-track lever over India: up to 100% tariffs on its Russian oil purchases if he chooses to deploy them, alongside a broad national security waiver he could invoke instead. Whether India ultimately shifts purchases toward US hydrocarbons — as the State Department is now pitching — depends entirely on how the Trump administration decides to implement the law, which the official said remains an open question.
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