Presidents, prime ministers and lawmakers will gather in Washington, D.C. Tuesday to honor late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Among them will be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose visits will consist of more than just paying their respects.
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Graham, one of the Senate’s most influential Republicans for more than three decades, died earlier this month at age 71 from an aortic dissection after returning home from a trip to Ukraine.
The services
Graham’s first funeral service in Washington will be followed by one in South Carolina, which he represented for more than three decades, on Wednesday.
Tuesday’s service will start with his casket being escorted into the U.S. Capitol’s rotunda by an armed forces team followed by a short program honoring Graham’s Senate service. After that, an invitation-only service will take place at the Washington National Cathedral where President Donald Trump is expected to speak.
The service in South Carolina Wednesday will begin with an F-16 flyover followed by a procession from the state house in Columbia to the First Baptist Church of Columbia. A service will then be held at the church, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis.
Graham’s family will then hold a private burial service in Pickens County, South Carolina.
Netanyahu and Zelenskyy’s meetings
Two of the foreign leaders in Washington for Graham’s funeral will also spend time at the White House afterward.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington Monday night for his first face-to-face meeting with Trump since the U.S.-Iran conflict began. Iran is expected to top the agenda as both leaders navigate a fragile pause in the fighting while also trying to show their partnership remains strong despite some recent public disagreements.
Trump is also expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russia intensifies its missile campaign and Ukraine continues to press for more air defense support.
Zelenskyy is also expected to meet with Senators on Tuesday, as lawmakers prepare to take up a Russia sanctions bill championed by Graham. All 100 members of the Senate have been invited to that meeting.
The back-to-back meetings put two of the world’s most pressing conflicts on the White House agenda in one single day.
Round out your reading
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