US Senator Lindsey Graham has issued a stern warning to India, China, and other nations continuing to buy Russian oil, arguing that such purchases are directly enabling Moscow’s war in Ukraine. His remarks came shortly after Russia launched a deadly missile strike on Kyiv early Thursday, killing at least 23 people, including children. The Republican Senator linked Russia’s ability to fund its war machine to energy exports, stressing that buyers outside the West are sustaining President Vladimir Putin’s aggression.
Graham wrote, India, China, Brazil and others who prop up Putin’s war machine by buying cheap Russian oil: How do you feel right now that your purchases have resulted in innocent civilians, including children, being killed? India is experiencing the cost of supporting Putin. To the rest, you will soon too. His statement referenced Washington’s economic pressure, including President Donald Trump’s punitive 50 percent tariffs on Indian imports, which Graham described as a direct repercussion of supporting Russia.
The Russian Defence Ministry claimed Thursday’s strikes targeted Ukraine’s military-industrial facilities and air bases, while Ukrainian officials said the assault was one of the deadliest since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the strike, declaring that Russia had chosen ballistics instead of the negotiating table and renewed calls for tougher sanctions on Moscow.
At the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that Trump was not happy about this news but said he was unsurprised given the length of the war. She acknowledged that while Russian strikes remain deadly, Ukraine has also inflicted damage on Russian oil refineries in August, intensifying the conflict. The latest escalation came less than two weeks after Trump hosted Putin in Alaska, where he sought to advance peace talks.
Despite these talks, the Kremlin insisted it was still open to negotiations, though the scale of Thursday’s attack indicated otherwise. As Russia accelerates its military operations, Graham’s warning places renewed scrutiny on India, China, and Brazil, countries whose energy trade with Moscow has become a key lifeline for Russia’s wartime economy. With civilian casualties mounting, pressure is likely to grow on these nations to reconsider their stance, while Ukraine and its allies push for harsher measures against Russia’s oil revenue streams.
