In talks with US Congress delegation, Vikram Misri raises Russia, Iran sanctions Act

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri (extreme right) with a bipartisan US Congressional delegation led by Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Brian Mast, on Sunday. (ANI)

AS INDIA continues to engage with the American side over the new Russia sanctions legislation, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Sunday met a bipartisan US Congressional delegation led by Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Representative Brian Mast. This comes days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his US counterpart Marco Rubio and conveyed concerns over the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act.

In a post on X, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Sunday: “Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri met a bipartisan US Congressional delegation led by Rep. @RepBrianMast, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.” He said Misri held wide-ranging discussions with the delegation, including the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 and the future trajectory of India-US bilateral ties.

“Discussions covered the entire gamut of India-US relations, including the recently enacted SRIA legislation and the future trajectory of the relationship. They also exchanged views on international issues of mutual concern, energy security, counter-terrorism and freedom of navigation,” the MEA spokesperson said.

For India, the new legislation creates a potential mechanism under which Washington could impose tariffs up to 100% on imports from countries that continue purchasing Russian energy. The legislation, however, does not automatically impose a 100% tariff on Indian goods.

On Friday, Misri held a series of meetings in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), with US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker.

“Great to meet Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg in New York. Agreed to advance India-US cooperation in critical and emerging technologies, including through Pax Silica, and strengthen cooperation in semiconductors and critical minerals,” Misri said.

“Discussed various elements of India-US bilateral cooperation, including energy security and the recently enacted SRIA, civil nuclear cooperation, TRUST and the Indian Ocean Strategic Venture initiative,” Misri said on his meeting with Hooker.

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During his meeting with Rubio, Jaishankar had conveyed India’s economic and strategic concerns regarding the legislation targeting buyers of Russian energy. Rubio had said that while the sanctions could be levelled against countries that trade with Russia and Iran, the US will help its regional partners towards energy security. India depends on imports to meet over 88% of its crude oil needs, and Russia currently accounts for nearly half of these imports.

Amid discussions in India regarding diversification of its energy sources, Jaishankar also met Venezuela Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia Gonzalez on the UNGA sidelines.

After the meeting, he said: “Our energy ties are gaining momentum, besides other areas of bilateral cooperation. We also discussed current regional issues.”

Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More