Russia issues arrest warrant for Sen. Lindsey Graham

Russia has issued an arrest warrant for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. The warrant appears to be in response to comments Graham made during a trip to Ukraine that were released in an edited video by the Ukrainian government.

In the video, Graham is seen sitting at a table with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who thanked the senator for the financial aid America has provided to Ukraine with strong bipartisan support.

“The best money we’ve ever spent,” Graham responded. 

Later in the video, Graham told Zelenskyy that the Ukrainians appear to have adopted the American saying “live free or die.” 

“Now you’re free, and we will be,” Zelenskyy replied.

“And the Russians are dying,” Graham added. 

Graham said he will wear the warrant as a badge of honor. 

“Here’s an offer to my Russian ‘friends’ who want to arrest and try me for calling out the Putin regime as being war criminals: I will submit to jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court if you do. Come and make your best case. See you in The Hague,” Graham said in a statement. 

Graham joked that he already found an inexpensive lawyer after Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., offered to represent the senator. The pair have been to Ukraine multiple times together and are both calling for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be tried for war crimes, even if it’s in absentia. 

Graham’s most recent visit culminated with a May 26 press conference in front of a destroyed Russian tank. Graham called for the United States to provide additional long-range artillery for a counteroffensive, in addition to cluster munitions which are banned by more than 100 countries, but not the U.S. 

“I have never been more optimistic about the ability of the Ukrainians to go on the offense and take back their territory from the Russians,” Graham said.  

The United States has provided Ukraine with $75 billion in military and humanitarian assistance since the war began.