Following his remarks regarding the fighting in Ukraine, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by Russia’s Interior Ministry on Monday.
Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, mentioned that “the Russians are dying” in an edited video of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that was made public by Zelenskyy’s office. He also called the U.S. military assistance to the nation “the best money we’ve ever spent.”
Although Graham seems to have made the comments at several points in the dialogue, the brief video released by the presidential office of Ukraine showed them next to each other, which infuriated Russia.
It’s difficult to think of a worse embarrassment for the nation than having such senators, said Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a statement on Sunday.
According to the Interior Ministry’s official list of wanted criminal suspects published on Monday, the Investigative Committee, the nation’s top criminal investigation agency, decided to begin a criminal investigation into Graham.
The Interior Ministry then issued a warrant for his arrest. Graham is one of more than 200 American lawmakers whose entry into Russia was prohibited by Moscow last year.
Graham commented on Twitter, saying that “to know that my commitment to Ukraine has drawn the ire of Putin’s regime brings me immense joy.”
“I will continue to stand with and for Ukraine’s freedom until every Russian soldier is expelled from Ukrainian territory,” he tweeted. “I will wear the arrest warrant issued by Putin’s corrupt and immoral government as a Badge of Honor.
