Russia issued an arrest warrant for Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., after an edited video appeared to show him celebrating the deaths of Russian soldiers in its war against Ukraine. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI |
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May 30 (UPI) -- Russian authorities issued an arrest warrant for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham after an edited video appeared to show him celebrating the death of Russian troops, but Moscow declined to say what law he broke.
The edited video released by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's office cut together two separate moments during the senator's meeting with him on Friday. In the video, Graham, R-S.C., can be heard saying that "the Russians are dying" as the clip immediately cuts to the senator saying "the best money we've ever spent."
"It's hard to imagine a greater shame for the country than having such senators," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in addressing the edited video.
Ukraine later released the entire video on Sunday showing that the comments were not made in relation to each other but Russia's foreign ministry then claimed Kyiv was trying to protect Graham and urged the senator to state clearly that he was taken out of context.
Graham was undeterred by the Russian arrest warrant, saying he plans to wear it as a "badge of honor" and challenged Russia to turn itself into the International Criminal Court.
"To know that my commitment to Ukraine has drawn the ire of Putin's regime brings me immense joy," Graham said on Twitter. "I will continue to stand with and for Ukraine's freedom until every Russian soldier is expelled from Ukrainian territory.
"Finally, here's an offer to my Russian 'friends' who want to arrest and try me for calling out the Putin regime as being war criminals: I will submit to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court if you do. Come and make your best case. See you in The Hague!"
Graham and been a longtime critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia, amping up his criticism since the start of its invasion of Ukraine.
