Doublespeak in US sanctions law: No Russian oil for others, exception for its own uranium imports

The 'Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026' was signed into law by US President Donald Trump on Friday. This legislation empowers the President to impose tariffs of up to 100% on imports of Russian oil and gas, targeting countries like China and India. The aim is to reduce Russia's energy revenues in response to its war in Ukraine.

However, the law also establishes an exception to allow the US to continue importing a critical material from Russia - uranium for its nuclear power industry. The law explicitly states that this exception applies to imports of low-enriched uranium (LEU) described in a specific paragraph. This creates a stark contradiction between the US's rhetoric and actions towards Russia.

While Washington is pressuring developing nations to shift away from Russian oil, it is simultaneously increasing its uranium imports from Russia, even post the Ukraine war. In 2025, the US imported $1.02 billion worth of enriched uranium from Russia, comprising 23.42% of its total LEU imports for that year, according to data from the US International Trade Commission (USITC).

This figure represents a 23.75% increase in US imports from Russia since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, from $829.75 million in 2022. The term 'low-enriched uranium' refers to uranium with a U-235 concentration raised from its natural 0.7% level to 3-5% to sustain nuclear fission in reactors. The US needs this enriched uranium for its 96 large light water reactors, which rely on LEU fuel.

Currently, the US imports about 81% of its LEU needs, with Russia being its largest supplier at 40% of global enrichment capacity. Despite calls for diversifying oil sources, India's current dependence on Russian oil is deeply entrenched. In August alone, India imported 2.08 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian oil, constituting 45% of its total oil imports.

This dependence persists even as the US and other Western nations push for reduced Russian oil imports due to geopolitical tensions.