Russia’s Interior Ministry has issued an arrest warrant for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) after he praised U.S. military aid to Ukraine as “the best money we’ve ever spent.”
Russian officials reacted to a video of Graham’s meeting Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Graham acknowledged “Russians are dying” and later said, “it’s the best money we ever spent.”
Graham appeared to make the comments in different parts of the conversation, which was edited and posted on Zelensky’s social media account.
The South Carolina senator Monday said it “brings me immense joy” to know that his support for Ukraine “has drawn the ire of [Russia President Vladimir] Putin’s regime.”
“I will wear the arrest warrant issued by Putin’s corrupt and immoral government as a Badge of Honor,” he tweeted.
Graham also offered a deal to his “Russian ‘friends’ who want to arrest and try me for calling out the Putin regime.”
“I will submit to jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court if you do. Come and make your best case. See you in The Hague!” he pledged.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has also opened a criminal case against Graham, asserting that the Republican senator “declared the financial involvement of the United States is causing the death of Russian citizens.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov criticized the comments as a “shame.”
“It’s difficult to imagine a greater shame for a country than having such senators,” he said.
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said Graham “shouldn’t have done that” and called the 67-year-old lawmaker an “old fool.”
Graham later dismissed the criticisms by Russian officials as “propaganda.”
“As usual the Russia propaganda machine is hard at work,” he told Reuters.
“Mr. Medvedev, if you want Russians to stop dying in Ukraine, withdraw. Stop the invasion. Stop the war crimes. The truth is that you and Putin could care less about Russian soldiers,” he said.
Updated 9:34 a.m.