WASHINGTON - Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) today joined Sens. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Christopher Coons (D-Del.) to introduce legislation to place financial sanctions on foreign persons who purchase Russian oil.

The Decreasing Russian Oil Profits (DROP) Act of 2025 would impose sanctions on any foreign person who directly or indirectly engaged in the purchase of Russian petroleum products. Countries can receive limited exemptions from these sanctions for only a small number of reasons, including by providing military and economic assistance to Ukraine.

China, India, Turkey and Iran, via ghost fleets, are among the largest consumers of Russian oil. Additionally, although nearly every European nation has provided aid to Ukraine to defend against Russia's invasion, several European countries still buy oil from the Kremlin, enabling Russia to fund its war of aggression.

"This bill sends a clear message to the world that there will be consequences for continuing to buy Russian oil. Congress will also no longer tolerate the hypocrisy of nations that condemn Vladimir Putin's actions on the world stage while funding his war machine through shady oil purchases. If our allies and trade partners want to purchase oil, they can buy American. For those countries that insist on buying Russian, this bill will encourage them to step up and provide support to Ukraine," said Husted.

"Any nation or entity that buys Russian oil is actively funding Russia's aggression in Ukraine. Putin has demonstrated he is unserious about bringing this war against Ukraine to a close, and continuing to fuel the war machine should carry consequences. This legislation establishes a framework to ostracize Russian petroleum while simultaneously supporting Ukraine," said McCormick.

"I'm proud to join my colleagues in sending a simple message: no matter how the Kremlin tries to reshuffle its exports to evade our measures, anyone who helps facilitate imports of Russian-origin oil risks losing access to the U.S. financial system. To achieve a just peace, we must demonstrate that the United States can sustainably drive up the costs for Russia as Putin continues his brutal war of choice," said Warren.

"Putin will only stop when we stop him. He is using profits from Russian oil to fund a horrific war against Ukraine which has seen Russian torture and kill civilians, kidnap children, and threaten democracy. The brave Ukrainian forces are protecting freedom around the world, holding the line against Russia at incredible cost. If we really want to bring a lasting end to this war, it requires commitment to Ukraine and pressure on Russia. This bipartisan bill is a step in that direction: it will cut off Putin's lifelines by targeting the true buyers of Russian oil, bringing us closer to a fair and just peace," said Coons.

The DROP Act imposes sanctions on any foreign person the Department of Treasury determines:

• Is responsible for or complicit in the purchase of Russian petroleum products

• Has knowingly facilitated financial transactions or materially assisted the purchase of Russian oil

• Is owned or controlled by, or has acted on the behalf of, directly or indirectly, any foreign person that purchases Russian petroleum products

Persons can avoid sanctions by the Department of Treasury if they meet two of the four following exemptions:

1. Funds earned from Russian oil sales are isolated and used exclusively for humanitarian goods and the country reduces its Russian oil purchases, recertified every 180 days

1. Payments per barrel are deposited by the purchasing country into a special account established by the President for Ukraine's benefit

1. The purchasing country provides "significant economic or military support" to Ukraine, recertified by the President every 180 days

1. Oil is imported from specific Russian ports for up to 270 days following enactment, provided these ports do not exceed half of Russia's oil exports

Full text of the bill is available here.