The Russian Interior Ministry has issued an arrest warrant for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham following comments on the Russia-Ukraine war.
On Monday, Russian state media reported the ministry put Graham on a wanted list, saying he’s "wanted under an article of the Russian Criminal Code," but there were no specifications of what article they were referring to.
The warrant comes just three days after the Republican senator from South Carolina met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On Friday, Zelenskyy's office posted an edited video of the meeting on Facebook in which Graham says "the Russians are dying," immediately followed by him saying the U.S. assistance to the country as "the best money we’ve ever spent." However, the remarks appeared to have been made in different parts of the conversation but edited to sound like one sentence, causing an angry response by the Kremlin.
"It's hard to imagine a greater shame for the country than having such senators," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded, according to theAssociated Press.
Will counter-offensive end Ukraine's stalemate with Russia?
The war in Ukraine has devolved into a stalemate, but with the promise of more sophisticated weapons, will Ukraine have what it takes to win the war?
The chief of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, has officially ordered criminal proceedings against Graham, Russia's state media also reported.
On Sunday morning, Graham responded to the warrant, saying he will wear the arrest warrant as a "Badge of Honor."
"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," said Graham.
Graham also stated that he would submit to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court if Russia were to arrest him.
