India has “reassuring” talks with U.S., including on Bill that proposes 100% tariffs

India has had “reassuring” recent discussions with the U.S. including on a proposed law that would see tariffs of 100% being imposed on India and other countries that import Russian oil in large quantities, a senior official in the government said on the condition of anonymity.

The U.S. Senate earlier this week passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which proposes tariffs of up to 100% on countries that import oil from Russia in large quantities. Under the criteria laid out in the Bill, these tariffs would apply on India and four other countries, if it becomes law. 

The Bill awaits introduction and voting in the House of Representatives before it can become law. 

“We are engaged with the U.S. on the trade deal, and have had discussions on the Russia sanctions bill,” the official said. “The conversations have been reassuring.”

India currently faces a 10% tariff on 55% of what it exports to the U.S., a result of a U.S. investigation into whether India and other countries had done enough to stop the import of goods made using forced labour. 

A second investigation, on whether these countries are using excess capacity to export to the U.S., could see further tariffs being levied on India. Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, however, said that India is engaged with the U.S. on these matters. 

“We are engaged with the U.S. side on the trade deal,” Mr. Agrawal said at a press conference on Thursday in response to a query from The Hindu. “Both sides are committed to the deal that we have agreed to on February 3, 2026, and for which the joint statement was issued on February 7, 2026.”

While the joint statement mentions tariff levels that have now become moot due to the Supreme Court’s cancellation of the U.S. reciprocal tariffs, it also includes a line that says the U.S. and India “commit to provide each other preferential market access in sectors of respective interest on a sustained basis”.