WASHINGTON, November 20. /TASS/. US Senator Lindsey Graham (designated as a terrorist and extremist in Russia) revealed that US President Donald Trump had actually approved a bill that would impose 500% import duties on Russia and its trading partners and that he had asked Senate Majority Leader John Thune to push forward with the measure.

"President Trump told Thune Sunday, when we were playing golf, move the bill," CNN quoted the Republican senator as saying. Later, he shared, the White House sent him a statement saying that the Trump administration had "signed off on the bill."

According to Graham, a call is scheduled later on Thursday with members of the House of Representatives and Senate. The Congress should pass the measure "to give leverage" in talks with Russia, he argued.

Earlier, Thune did not confirm if the tougher Russia sanctions bill may be adopted before the end of the year. However, he said that Trump had actually indicated his support for the bill. The initiative would need to be taken up by the House first, Thune opined.

The bill in question was endorsed in early April by a bipartisan group of senators led by Graham and Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut. The measure envisages secondary sanctions against Russia’s trading partners, such as a 500% tariff on imports to the United States from countries that purchase oil, gas, uranium, and other goods from Russia.