WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Jon Husted, R‑Ohio, has signed on to a bipartisan bill that would impose new sanctions on foreign individuals and entities that purchase Russian oil, while offering exemptions for countries that provide military or economic assistance to Ukraine.
Husted joined Sens. Dave McCormick, R‑Pa., Elizabeth Warren, D‑Mass., and Christopher Coons, D‑Del., in introducing the Decreasing Russian Oil Profits Act, or DROP Act, on Tuesday. The legislation directs the U.S. Treasury Department to sanction anyone found responsible for or complicit in buying Russian petroleum products or facilitating financial transactions tied to those purchases.
In his press release, Husted said countries could avoid sanctions under limited circumstances, including by isolating oil revenues for humanitarian purposes, depositing payments into a U.S.‑controlled account for Ukraine’s benefit, or providing “significant economic or military support” to Ukraine.
Husted said the measure “sends a clear message to the world that there will be consequences for continuing to buy Russian oil,” adding that Congress will no longer tolerate “the hypocrisy of nations that condemn Vladimir Putin’s actions … while funding his war machine through shady oil purchases.”
Experts say China, India, Turkey, and Iran are among the largest consumers of Russian oil. Many European nations have provided aid to Ukraine while continuing to buy Russian oil, which lawmakers say helps finance Moscow’s war effort.
The bill comes as Congress faces calls to place more pressure on the Kremlin, nearly four years into its invasion of Ukraine.