According to India's New Delhi Television (NDTV), Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar responded on July 2, local time, during a press conference in Washington, D.C., regarding a new U.S. congressional bill that included "a 500% tariff on imports from China and India."

Jai Shankar stated, "Regarding the bill proposed by Senator Lindsay Graham, we will closely monitor any developments in the U.S. Congress that involve or may affect our interests."

He added, "We have fully explained our concerns and interests in the energy and security fields to Senator Graham. So we'll then have to cross that bridge when we come to it."

On June 29, Republican U.S. Senator Lindsay Graham told media outlets that his new bill is expected to pass in Congress in July, and President Trump has expressed support for it. Graham claimed that China and India buying Russian energy supports "Putin's war machine," and according to this bill, the United States would impose a 500% tariff on imported goods from China and India.

"Under the Western sanctions, India and China, who continue to purchase discounted Russian oil, have become the main targets of this bill," NDTV reported. As the world's third-largest oil importer and consumer, India traditionally imports crude oil from the Middle East, but since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, due to Western sanctions, Russian oil prices have significantly dropped below international benchmark prices, leading India to significantly increase its share of Russian oil imports.

Graham, who is known for his anti-Russian rhetoric and has been listed by Russia as a terrorist and extremist, announced this bill in April. He suggested that the United States should impose tariffs of up to 500% on goods exported to the U.S. from countries that buy oil, natural gas, petroleum products, and uranium from Russia.

Russian President's Press Secretary Peskov said on June 30 that Russia is aware of the stance of this U.S. senator and has noted his statement.

Peskov said, "We are well aware of the senator's views, and the whole world knows them. He belongs to a group of deeply rooted anti-Russians. If he had his way, these sanctions would have already been implemented."

"Would this help in resolving (the Ukraine issue) process? That is a question that those who initiated such events should ask themselves," Peskov said.

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