The United States has acknowledged India’s concerns over the proposed Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which could significantly impact bilateral relations between the two countries. This legislation seeks to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian energy, a category that includes India due to its substantial purchases of Russian oil.
A senior US State Department official noted that Washington understands India’s need to respond to the proposed sanctions, especially following criticism from several US lawmakers regarding India’s energy dealings with Russia. Despite these tensions, the US official emphasized that there are “no hard feelings” towards New Delhi’s position on the matter.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has expressed concerns that the legislation could affect the broader India-US relationship as well as global energy markets. The potential impact on India’s energy security has been a particular point of concern raised by Indian officials during discussions with their US counterparts.
The proposed sanctions law includes a broad national security waiver, which would allow the US president to exempt certain countries from specific measures under certain conditions. While the US official did not confirm whether India would be granted such a waiver, they mentioned that the provision could be applied depending on national security considerations.
Discussions regarding the implications of the sanctions were also held during a meeting between India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The US expressed support for countries, like India, that are looking to diversify their energy sources, acknowledging India’s ongoing energy needs.
Furthermore, the US official highlighted the continued collaboration between the United States and India through platforms such as the Quad. Rubio is expected to visit India in October, further underscoring the ongoing diplomatic engagements between the two nations.