U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham speaks to the media after his meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv, July 10. Reuters-Yonhap
Leaders of NATO allies, Ukraine and Israel paid tribute to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham as a friend, partner and advocate of trans-Atlantic ties on Sunday, praising a figure who was a constant presence on the global foreign policy scene before and during the era of President Donald Trump .
The Republican senator had visited Ukraine just before his death and announced an agreement on Friday with the Trump administration to move forward on a package of sanctions against Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Graham, whom he met twice in the past week, visited Ukraine 10 times since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, and “was here with our people when it was most needed.” He said that “Lindsey was a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Graham was “a powerful advocate for America who believed strongly in the NATO Alliance and was actively working to bring an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine.” Rutte's predecessor, Jens Stoltenberg, lauded the South Carolina senator's “tireless commitment” to NATO and the trans-Atlantic bond, and his “staunch support” for Ukraine.
