While President Vladimir Putin is wanted in the West for war crimes, Russia has issued an arrest warrant for U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham following his remarks during his last week’s visit to Ukraine.
On Monday, Russia’s Interior Ministry issued an arrest warrant against the Republican senator over his comments during his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. In an edited video clip circulating on social media, Sen. Graham acknowledged that “the Russians are dying” and described the U.S. military assistance to Kyiv as “the best money we’ve ever spent.”
The South Carolina senator made light of the arrest warrant issued by Putin’s regime, saying he did not like his “chances of getting a fair trial” in a Kremlin-run court. The Russia probe against him is a “Badge of Honor,” he added.
The Associated Press reported:
Russia’s Interior Ministry on Monday issued an arrest warrant for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham following his comments related to the fighting in Ukraine.In an edited video of his meeting on Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that was released by Zelenskyy’s office, Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, noted that “the Russians are dying” and described the U.S. military assistance to the country as “the best money we’ve ever spent.”While Graham appeared to have made the remarks in different parts of the conversation, the short video by Ukraine’s presidential office put them next to each other, causing outrage in Russia.Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented Sunday by saying that “it’s hard to imagine a greater shame for the country than having such senators.”The Investigative Committee, the country’s top criminal investigation agency, has moved to open a criminal inquiry against Graham, and the Interior Ministry followed up by issuing a warrant for his arrest as indicated Monday by its official record of wanted criminal suspects. (…)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.”
Sen. Graham has been one of the leading Republican supporters of Ukraine since Russia began its invasion fifteen months ago. He is among 200 U.S. members of Congress whom the Kremlin has banned from entering Russia.
Meanwhile, President Putin faces his own legal and diplomatic woes over the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), the war crimes tribunal based in The Hague, Netherlands. The Russian president has been accused of abducting children from the territories captured from Ukraine.
South Africa is under pressure from the West to apprehend Putin when he visits the country to attend the summit of BRICS nations (August 22-24), which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
South Africa, a signatory to the ICC, is refusing to comply with the warrant and has vowed to shield the visiting Russian leader with “diplomatic immunity.” Country’s “international relations minister Naledi Pandor has signed off on diplomatic immunity for the Brics summit, which Russian president Vladimir Putin is expected to attend,” the South African weekly Mail and Guardian reported Tuesday.
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