Russia (AP) — Following his remarks on the violence in Ukraine, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham was the subject of an arrest order 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 aid 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 adjacent to them 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 Vladiir 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 highest criminal investigative 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 tweeted a response, writing, “To know that my commitment to Ukraine has drawn the ire of Putin’s regime brings me immense joy.”
He wrote, “Until every Russian soldier is expelled from Ukrainian soil, I will continue to stand with and for Ukraine’s freedom. “I will wear the arrest warrant issued by Putin’s immoral and corrupt government as a badge of honour.”
