Washington DC, July 3 -- India is engaging with American lawmakers over a proposed Russia sanctions bill introduced in the US Congress that seeks to impose steep tariffs on countries continuing trade ties with Moscow, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday.

The legislation, backed by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, calls for a 500 percent tariff on imports from countries-including India and China-that maintain commercial relations with Russia despite its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

Senator Graham has pitched the bill as a tool to tighten pressure on Russia's economy and force President Vladimir Putin to negotiate over the Ukraine war, while also giving Donald Trump discretion over its enforcement...