Your Purchases Killed: US Senator’s Russia Oil Warning To India,
US Senator to India, China: Stop Buying Russian Oil or Face Consequences
Washington:
US Senator Lindsey Graham has once again issued a sharp warning to India, China, Brazil, and other nations continuing to purchase Russian oil, claiming their trade is directly funding Moscow’s war in Ukraine. His remarks came hours after a deadly Russian missile strike on Kyiv early Thursday that killed at least 23 people, including children.
Graham argued that the money Moscow earns from oil exports is fueling its war machine. “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,” he wrote in a post on X.
The Republican Senator also linked his criticism to former US President Donald Trump’s punitive trade measures, noting that India had already “experienced the cost” through a 50 percent tariff on imports.
Your Purchases Killed
Russia’s Revenue and the Ukraine War
Graham has consistently tied Russia’s ability to wage war with its oil revenues, stressing that buyers outside the West are keeping Moscow’s economy afloat. “Without oil and gas revenue, Russia collapses… the whole goal is to crush its customers – India, China, Brazil,” he told NBC in an earlier interview.
White House Reaction
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was “not happy about this news, but he was also not surprised,” pointing to the long-standing war. She noted that Russian strikes have been deadly while Ukrainian forces had earlier damaged Russian oil refineries in August.
“Perhaps both sides of this war are not ready to end it themselves,” she said. “The president wants it to end but the leaders of these two countries need it to end and want it to end.”
Kyiv Attack and Global Response
Thursday’s deadly missile barrage on Kyiv marked one of the most significant strikes since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the assault, calling it “Moscow’s answer to diplomacy.”
“Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table. It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war,” Zelenskiy said on X, urging world leaders to impose fresh sanctions on Moscow.
Russia, meanwhile, insisted that its strikes were aimed at military-industrial facilities and air bases, while accusing Ukraine of launching attacks on Russian targets. The Kremlin also maintained that it remained open to peace talks, despite escalating hostilities.
Background: Trump-Putin Summit
The missile strikes came less than two weeks after Trump hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Alaska, part of the former president’s renewed efforts to advance peace negotiations.
However, Zelenskiy argued that Moscow’s actions proved it was not serious about dialogue, further complicating global attempts to broker an end to the war.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the strike, the second-largest attack since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, was Moscow’s answer to diplomatic efforts to end its war. “Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table,” Zelenskiy said on X, calling for new sanctions on Russia. “It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war.” Russia said its attack had hit military-industrial facilities and air bases, and that Ukraine had attacked Russian targets. The Kremlin said it was still interested in pursuing peace talks. modified this article full details
“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,” Graham said in a post on X.
