US Senator Lindsey Graham has died following a brief, sudden illness, the senator’s office said Saturday evening. The South Carolina politician, elected to the Senate in 2002, was one of Washington’s most influential voices on foreign policy and a key ally of President Trump.
The Senator had just returned from a state visit to Kyiv, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. No health concerns were reported before the trip.
In a social media post marking the death, President Donald Trump called Graham a "true American Patriot" and noted his long‑standing support for U.S. assistance to Ukraine.
Graham had served as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was a staunch proponent of sanctions against Russia, working on a version of the Russia sanctions bill during his recent visit to Ukraine.
Over the years he had clashed with Trump yet became one of his staunchest backers, citing the former president’s record on the border, the killing of Iran’s Qasem Soleimani, and the appointment of conservative judges.
