Lindsey Graham says Russian arrest warrant is a ‘badge of honour’

The senator is a longtime supporter of Ukraine’s defence efforts

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has said that he considers the Russian government’s issuance of a warrant for his arrest to be high praise for his steadfast support for Ukraine.

Moscow’s Interior Ministry issued the warrant for Mr Graham’s arrest after an edited video of his recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky showed him saying US military assistance for Kyiv was “the best money we’ve ever spent” because “Russians are dying”.

The video, which was put out by Mr Zelensky’s office, sparked outrage in Russia. Kremlin spokesperson Dimitry Peskov criticised Mr Graham in remarks on Sunday in which he said it was “hard to imagine” a “greater shame” for the US than having a man like Mr Graham as a senator.

But the South Carolina Republican appeared not to be bothered by either the warrant or the comments from Mr Peskov.

Writing on Twitter on Monday, he wrote: “I will wear the arrest warrant issued by Putin’s corrupt and immoral government as a Badge of Honour”.

Mr Graham is also on a list of more than 200 US representatives and senators who have been banned from entering Russia.

He later added that “to know that [his] commitment to Ukraine has drawn the ire of Putin’s regime brings [him] immense joy” and said he would “continue to stand with and for Ukraine’s freedom until every Russian soldier is expelled from Ukrainian territory”.