The “Russophobic” new sanctions bill empowering US President Donald Trump to impose steep tariffs on buyers of Russian energy will lead to ever-higher prices at the pumps for Americans, the Russian Embassy in Washington has warned.
The legislation was championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, a Russia hawk and staunch Ukraine supporter who pushed for “crushing sanctions” on Moscow before his unexpected death this summer. Named ‘The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026’ in his honor, the bill allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from major buyers of Russian oil and gas, potentially including China and India, and additional sanctions on Russia and Iran. It cleared the House on Wednesday, removing the final congressional hurdle before reaching Trump, who has said he plans to sign it.
The Russian Embassy in Washington on Friday warned the legislation will likely backfire on American consumers, particularly as Middle Eastern energy supplies are already disrupted by the US war on Iran.
“Russophobic instinct underlying the late Senator Graham’s bill… makes a grand disservice to the current Administration’s efforts to Make America Great Again,” the embassy wrote on X. “Destabilizing energy markets by blocking Russian oil and gas trade as Mideast supply is dramatically cut is an invitation to ever-higher prices at the pump close to midterm November elections.”
The embassy also warned that targeting major buyers of Russian energy could deepen tensions between Washington on one side and Moscow and Beijing on the other. It argued that the legislation runs counter to the Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts with Moscow and that simultaneously confronting Russia and China would create a geopolitical “lose-lose” situation for Washington.
US gasoline prices are already under pressure from the Middle East energy crisis. US gasoline averages $4.43-$4.44 a gallon, over $1.10 more than a year ago, while diesel has hit a record $6.40 nationwide, jumping 77 cents in the first half of September alone.
Disruptions to tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for Gulf oil exports, have constrained supplies, while instability around the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait due to Iran-allied Yemeni Houthi advances has threatened another major shipping route. Crude prices have climbed above $100 a barrel, raising concerns about further increases at the pump if disruptions persist.
China and India, the largest buyers of Russian energy, have opposed the bill and defended their purchases. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Thursday that Beijing rejects Washington’s “long-arm jurisdiction” as lacking a basis in international law. India has warned that tariffs over Russian oil purchases could affect US-India ties and vowed to “take all necessary measures to protect its trade and economic interests.”
Moscow has long denounced Western energy sanctions as illegal and self-defeating, arguing that they redirect Russian exports while forcing Western countries toward more expensive supplies. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned this week that additional US sanctions would make reaching a settlement of the Ukraine conflict more difficult.