Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) stated on Sunday his support for the United States training Ukrainian forces overseas.
“Yes, I do support us training inside the country. The delay and weapons because of House inaction, we did lose momentum. But from the very beginning, the Biden administration, they did not impose pre-invasion sanctions to deter Putin. They didn’t give weapons to Ukraine early on to deter Putin. And now we got a chance to reset this war that they have the weapons,” Graham said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
Graham emphasized that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seeks aggressive actions against Russian assets globally.
“Here’s what he wanted most of all: for us to go after the Russian assets all over the world. Take the money from the sovereign wealth funds of Russia and give it to Ukraine. There’s $300 billion sitting in Europe, from Russia. And sovereign wealth assets that we should seize and give to Ukraine,” he said.
Senator Graham reiterated his unwavering support for Ukraine amidst its prolonged conflict with Russia.
“Either we’re going to help Ukraine or we’re not. It’s now time to give them the F-16s, let them fly the planes, long-range artillery to hit targets inside of Russia. Go after Putin’s assets wherever, all over the world. Go on the offensive. I think the summer Ukraine will regain military momentum,” he stated.
Last week, President Biden met with Zelensky in Normandy, France, during the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.
Biden expressed regret to Zelensky for the delays in U.S. funding for the war effort against Russia.
“I apologize for the weeks of not knowing what’s going to pass in terms of funding because we had trouble getting the bill that we had to pass that had the money in it. Some of our very conservative members were holding it up. But we got it done finally,” Biden said.
The American public’s concern about a potential conflict with Russia remains palpable as these developments unfold.
The Russian Response
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to send weapons to Western adversaries, although he refrained from naming any specific countries or groups.
Putin issued this warning, his second of the week, during a speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, where he discussed Western support for Ukraine amidst its ongoing conflict with Moscow.
“If they supply [weapons] to the combat zone and call for using these weapons against our territory, why don’t we have the right to do the same?” Putin asked attendees.
Putin did not specify a timeline for carrying out such actions, emphasizing that Russia is not currently supplying weapons to enemies of the West. He also did not disclose which countries or entities he might consider arming.
Earlier in the week, Putin had informed international journalists that Moscow could potentially provide long-range weapons to nations capable of striking Western targets. This threat came after the U.S. allowed Ukraine to use American-made weapons in a limited area within Russia.
“We reserve the right to act the same way,” Putin said during the forum. “The response might [be] asymmetrical, and we will think about that.”
On Friday, Putin also reiterated his readiness to use nuclear weapons if he perceives a threat to Russian sovereignty. While he stated that the current threat level does not warrant such measures, he acknowledged that this assessment could change.
“We have a nuclear doctrine which states that the use of nuclear arms is possible in an exceptional case, when the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country is threatened,” he said. “But the doctrine can be changed.”
Russia has intensified its rhetoric in response to recent U.S. aid packages to Ukraine and the new, albeit limited, permission for Ukraine to target Kremlin assets within Russia.
In line with this, Russia has deployed three navy ships and a nuclear-powered submarine to Cuba, scheduled to arrive at the Port of Havana for an official visit next week, according to the Cuban armed forces.
U.S. officials anticipate that Russia and Cuba will conduct joint exercises, involving “heightened naval and air activity near the United States,” with Russian aircraft and naval combat vessels. This marks the first coordinated air and sea exercise by Russia in the Western Hemisphere in five years, a U.S. official told McClatchy and the Miami Herald on Wednesday.
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