Moscow, May 2 (UNI) Europe is preparing a new package of sanctions against Russia, which it would like to coordinate with possible US measures in the event of a "failure" of the settlement in Ukraine, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said.

Bloomberg reported Thursday that US Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (listed as a terrorist and extremist in Russia) has gained the support of 72 of his counterparts for a bill that seeks to impose new sanctions on Russia. Apart from sanctions, the senators proposed imposing a 500% tariff on imports from countries that buy Russian energy, including petroleum, oil, and uranium, the report said, citing the document's draft.

"We Europeans will accompany this American initiative with a 17th package of sanctions and I committed yesterday to Lindsey Graham that we would try to coordinate both the substance and the timing of these two packages of sanctions," Barrot said in an interview with AFP Thursday.

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