{"id":138674,"date":"2026-07-12T08:11:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T14:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/lindsey-graham-draws-tributes-for-his-support-of-ukraine-trans-atlantic-ties-and-israel\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T08:11:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T14:11:57","slug":"lindsey-graham-draws-tributes-for-his-support-of-ukraine-trans-atlantic-ties-and-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/lindsey-graham-draws-tributes-for-his-support-of-ukraine-trans-atlantic-ties-and-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"Lindsey Graham draws tributes for his support of Ukraine, trans-Atlantic ties and Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"U.S.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. answers a question from a media member near damaged Russian vehicles on display in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo\/Efrem Lukatsky)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Efrem Lukatsky)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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<\/a> there. While he was admired in Israel, his position toward the war in Gaza in particular angered many in the Middle East, including U.S. allies who advocated a diplomatic solution.<\/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

Graham’s staunch support of Israel and his hawkish approach drew anger elsewhere in the Middle East. He was outspoken in supporting Israel’s devastating war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas-led militants.<\/p>\n

In May 2024, after Washington paused some military aid to Israel, he urged then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to \u201cgive Israel what they need to fight the war.” He likened the threat Israel faced to \u201cHiroshima and Nagasaki on steroids.\u201d He posted on X later that year that \u201cthe Palestinians in Gaza are the most radicalized population on the planet who are taught to hate Jews from birth.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut and Julia Frankel in Jerusalem contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

\"FILE
FILE – Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo\/Ben Curtis, File)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Ben Curtis, File)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"In
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, July 10, 2026. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)<\/span>(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"FILE
FILE – Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., left, gestures as President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while in flight on Air Force One, Jan. 4, 2026, as they were returning to Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon, File)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Alex Brandon, File)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. answers a question from a media member near damaged Russian vehicles on display in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo\/Efrem Lukatsky)(AP Photo\/Efrem Lukatsky) NATO allies, Ukraine and Israel paid tribute to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham as a friend, partner and advocate of trans-Atlantic ties on Sunday, praising […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":138675,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5734],"tags":[],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-138674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-associated-press"],"acf":[],"author_name":"Website Administrator","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138674\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138674"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=138674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}