{"id":15865,"date":"2026-07-12T11:38:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T11:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/15865\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T11:38:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T11:38:10","slug":"lindsey-graham-draws-tributes-for-his-support-of-ukraine-trans-atlantic-ties-and-israel-nation-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/15865\/","title":{"rendered":"Lindsey Graham draws tributes for his support of Ukraine, trans-Atlantic ties and Israel | Nation & World"},"content":{"rendered":"

NATO allies, Ukraine and Israel paid tribute to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham<\/a> as a friend, partner and advocate of trans-Atlantic ties on Sunday, praising a politician who was a high-profile figure in global foreign policy before and during the era of President Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Republican senator had visited Ukraine just before his death and announced an agreement on Friday with the Trump administration to move forward on a package of sanctions against Russia.<\/a><\/p>\n

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Graham, whom he met twice in the past week, visited Ukraine 10 times since Russia’s full-scale invasion<\/a> in 2022, and \u201cwas here with our people when it was most needed.\u201d He said that \u201cLindsey was a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer.\u201d<\/p>\n

A one-time critic of Trump turned close ally, Graham drew tributes for his longtime commitment to NATO and trans-Atlantic friendship at a time when those ties have been under pressure<\/a>.<\/p>\n

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Graham was \u201ca powerful advocate for America who believed strongly in the NATO Alliance and was actively working to bring an end to Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine.\u201d Rutte’s predecessor, Jens Stoltenberg, lauded the South Carolina senator’s \u201ctireless commitment\u201d to NATO and the trans-Atlantic bond, and his \u201cstaunch support\u201d for Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Graham commanded respect on NATO’s eastern edge, where Russia’s intentions are viewed with deep concern.<\/p>\n

Estonia\u2019s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that \u201cEstonia will remember him as a steadfast friend, a strong supporter of NATO\u2019s eastern flank, and an unwavering advocate for Ukraine.\u201d Latvian counterpart Baiba Bra\u017ee said that he was \u201camong the strongest supporters of NATO and transatlantic relations (and) assistance to Ukraine in countering Russian aggression.”<\/p>\n

\u201cHis commitment to the values of democracy, security, and international partnership earned him the respect and gratitude of many across Europe,\u201d Lithuanian Foreign Minister K\u0119stutis Budrys said. \u201cHis voice will be missed, but his legacy will endure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finnish President Alexander Stubb called Graham \u201ca personal friend. A supporter of @NATO and Ukraine. A Transatlanticist. A friend of Finland.\u201d<\/p>\n

And German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was \u201ca true friend and partner of Germany in the transatlantic alliance. We stood side by side for more than four decades.\u201d<\/p>\n

Graham advised Trump on foreign policy matters such as Iran<\/a> and Russia.<\/p>\n

He had long backed policies aimed at isolating Iran and limiting its missile and nuclear programs, cheered Trump’s decision to strike nuclear sites last year and was a supporter of the latest conflict.<\/p>\n

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called him \u201ca great friend of Israel\u201d and \u201ca cherished friend of mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Netanyahu said Graham understood that the security of Israel and the United States is inseparable and devoted his life to defending America, strengthening the U.S.-Israel alliance and standing up for the free world.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsrael has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend,\u201d Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n

Michael Oren, who served as Israeli ambassador to the U.S. from 2009 to 2013, said Graham\u2019s death removes a staunchly pro-Israel voice from Congress at a precarious time.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a few Democrats and Republicans willing to stand up in Israel\u2019s defense, but those type of people are few, it’s not a body of people,\u201d he said. “So when you lose someone like Lindsey Graham, it\u2019s a diplomatic and strategic loss for the state of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iranian state television announced Graham\u2019s death during a live broadcast in openly hostile terms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI congratulate the great nation of Iran on Lindsey Graham, the warmongering and anti-Iranian U.S. senator, having gone to hell,\u201d the anchor said.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NATO allies, Ukraine and Israel paid tribute to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham as a friend, partner and advocate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15866,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[154,2525,1020,338,6651,79,976,978,81],"class_list":["post-15865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-general-news","tag-government-policy","tag-international-agreements","tag-iran-war","tag-lindsey-graham-death-reactions","tag-politics","tag-sanctions-and-embargoes","tag-washington-news","tag-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15865\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}