China, India and possibly Iran could be targeted by the US.

10:12, Mon, Nov 17, 2025 Updated: 10:13, Mon, Nov 17, 2025

US President Donald Trump speaks to members of press

Trump has signalled support for a Bill which would impose sanctions on Russia's trade partners (Image: Getty)

Donald Trump has signalled support for moves to sanction countries which do business with Russia in a potential blow to Vladimir Putin. Proposed legislation would allow the US president to impose tariffs of up to 500% on imports from countries which buy Russian energy and aren't active supporters of Ukraine, including China and India.

Mr Trump told reporters on Sunday (November 16): "The Republicans are putting in legislation that is very tough sanctioning, etcetera, on any country doing business with Russia." He added that the move was "okay" with him and that Iran may be added to the list of countries which would be targeted under the proposed law.

A close up of Vladimir Putin

Putin previously said Russia would not bow to US pressure over sanctions (Image: Getty)

Some Republicans and Democrats in Congress want to penalise Moscow for its illegal war on Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

Mr Trump has previously been reluctant to back the Bill amid his efforts to start peace talks between Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Moscow has to date not responded to Mr Trump's latest remarks, but in October Putin said Russia would never bow to pressure from the US.

He did admit that fresh sanctions imposed on energy companies Rosneft and Lukoil as well as a number of their subsidiaries would have an impact on the Russian economy.

In October, state-owned oil companies in China halted their purchase of seaborne Russian oil after the sanctions announcement.

Mr Trump's latest remarks came after energy infrastructure was damaged by Russian drone strikes overnight into Sunday in Ukraine’s Odesa region.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said a solar power plant was among the damaged sites.

Ukraine is desperately trying to fend off relentless Russian aerial attacks which have brought rolling blackouts across its territory on the eve of winter.

Combined missile and drone strikes on the power grid have coincided with Ukraine’s efforts to hold back a Russian battlefield push aimed at capturing the eastern stronghold of Pokrovsk.

Russia fired a total of 176 drones and one missile overnight, Ukraine's air force said on Sunday, adding Ukrainian forces shot down or neutralised 139 drones.

On the front line, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Sunday that its forces had taken two settlements in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region.

Kyiv claimed Ukrainian forces struck a major oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region, along with a warehouse storing drones for the elite Rubicon drone unit in the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region. Russian officials did not immediately confirm the attacks.