By Arun Nair
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday expressed concerns over the US’s plans to impose a 500 per cent tariff on countries that import from Russia. The bill is seen as a “tool” to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table on Ukraine and give Donald Trump bargaining power. The bill’s lead sponsors are Linsey Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. It has at least 82 co-sponsors in the 100-member Senate. Graham said that Trump had a veto on whether the bill would be signed into law, even after it is passed by US Congress. The bill would impose “bone-breaking sanctions” on Russia and its customers if Moscow does not engage in talks, or if it initiates another effort undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty after any peace deal, he said. The bill is being viewed with concern in India, which imports 70 per cent crude oil from Russia. While addressing a press conference, Jaishankar stated that India will have to “cross that bridge if it comes to it”. Jaishankar said he has been in touch with Graham regarding the bill, and stated that India’s concerns and interests on energy, security have been made conversant to the US lawmaker. “Regarding Senator Lindsey Graham’s bill, any development which is happening in the US Congress is of interest to us if it impacts our interest or could impact our interest. So, we have been in touch with Senator Graham. The embassy, ambassador have been in touch. Our concerns and our interests on energy, security have been made conversant to him. So, we’ll then have to cross that bridge when we come to it, if we come to it,” Jaishankar said. Graham’s sanctions bill on Russia would impose a 500 per cent tariff”>tariff on imports from any nation that purchases Russian oil, gas, uranium and other products, The Hill reported. Would Bill Help Ukraine Settlement Process, Asks Russia Kremlin said that Russia was aware of Graham’s stance and had taken note of his statement. “The senator’s views are well known to us, they are well known to the whole world. He belongs to a group of inveterate Russophobes. If it were up to him, these sanctions would have been imposed long ago. Would that have helped the (Ukraine) settlement (process)? That is a question that those who initiate such events should ask themselves,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters news agency. The US and Western nations had imposed a number of sanctions on Moscow after it launched full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago. Despite the US threats, India continued to purchase Russian oil. “Is that a problem, why should that be a problem? if I am smart enough to have multiple options, you should be admiring me. Is that a problem for others? I don’t think so, suddenly in this case. We try to explain what are the different pulls and pressures that countries have. it’s very hard to have that unidimensional relationship,” Jaishankar said last year on the sidelines of the ongoing Munich security conference. His remark drew a praise from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who called the Indian leader his “friend”. During an interview at the World Youth Forum in Russia’s Sochi, Sergey Lavrov, when asked why New Delhi was purchasing oil from Moscow during war in Ukraine, said: “My friend, Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar, was once at the UN, giving a speech. He was asked why they started buying so much oil from Russia. He advised them to mind their own business and reminded them at the same time how much oil the West had started buying and continued to buy oil from the Russian Federation.” “This is national dignity,” Russian Foreign Minister said, according to Sputnik news agency.