Senior US senator says he will wear Russian arrest warrant as ‘badge of honor’

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - A senior US senator said he will wear the arrest warrant given by Russia over his comments on Ukraine as a “badge of honor.”

“To know that my commitment to Ukraine has drawn the ire of Putin’s regime brings me immense joy. I will continue to stand with and for Ukraine’s freedom until every Russian soldier is expelled from Ukrainian territory,” Lindsey Graham, a senator since 2003 and ranking Republican on the budget and judiciary committees, said on Twitter on Monday.

In response to Russia’s arrest warrant, Graham said he would submit his case to the International Criminal Court.

“Come and make your best case. See you in The Hague!” he added.

The Russian Interior Ministry added Graham to its wanted list after the country’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against him over comments he made during a visit to Ukraine.

During a meeting with Zelenskyy in Ukraine's capital Kyiv last Friday, Graham was shown in a video shared by the Ukrainian president’s Telegram account saying: “The Russians are dying … Best money we’ve ever spent.”​​​​​​​

In response to the video, Russian officials slammed Graham’s comments, with the Kremlin saying that it is difficult “to imagine a greater shame for the country than having such senators.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry also said that media attempts to justify his comments were “doomed to fail.”​​​​​​​"