On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a staunch supporter of the Ukraine proxy war, called out Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for not holding elections and remaining in power after his term expired.
Graham backed President Trump and Vice President JD Vance after their argument with Zelensky in the Oval Office, saying the Ukrainian leader should consider resigning. In response, Zelensky called Graham a “good guy” but said he could give the US senator “Ukrainian citizenship, then his voice will gain weight.”
Graham fired back in a post on X, writing, “Unfortunately, until there is an election, no one has a voice in Ukraine.”
Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials justify the lack of parliamentary and presidential elections by pointing to Ukraine’s constitution, which says elections can’t be held under martial law, which has been in effect since Russia invaded in February 2022.
But back in August 2023, Zelensky made it clear at one point that he could have held an election if he wanted to, suggesting that it could happen if the US and other Western countries paid for it. But the Biden administration did not put any pressure on Zelensky to hold an election and helped justify the decision.
Graham was actually one of the only US officials who suggested to Zelensky that Ukraine should hold elections. “I am very pleased to hear that President Zelensky has opened the door to elections in Ukraine in 2024,” Graham said in a statement in August 2023 following Zelensky’s comments about potentially holding elections.
“I cannot think of a better symbol for Ukraine than to hold free and fair elections during the course of a war. Elections would not only be seen as an act of defiance against the Russian invasion, but an embrace of democracy and freedom,” Graham added in his statement.
Throughout the proxy war, Graham has been responsible for the some of the most hawkish rhetoric coming out of the US. Some of his most provocative comments involved calls for the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin and for the US to start shooting down Russian planes.
Graham has credited himself as the one behind Trump’s idea for a deal with Ukraine that would give the US access to the country’s rare earth minerals and other natural resources.
“This war is about money. People don’t talk much about it. But you know, the richest country in all of Europe for rare earth minerals is Ukraine. Two to seven trillion dollars’ worth of minerals that are rare earth minerals, very relevant to the 21st century,” Graham said in November 2024. “Ukraine’s ready to do a deal with us, not the Russians. So it’s in our interest to make sure that Russia doesn’t take over the place.”
Wars are all about money for trash like Graham, MAFIA trash is ruling the Western democracies. They are back stabbers and they better watch out, their friends carry big knives.
What is different about Graham, other than saying it out loud?
Do you think prior administrations and their wars were built on altruism?
Regime change wasn’t built on US will?
Editing to add: the best outcome for Zelensky would be if he was removed. Then he doesn’t share the blame of ending the war and internal opposition won’t look to hang him from a tree. He then gets to move to France or Israel with his ill gotten gains.
I don’t think I said Graham is different, what has changed is the public display of the bloody politics, they don’t hide their moral bankruptcy, their bloody, sadistic brutality anymore, Graham is screaming it from the roof tops louder than the others.
They don’t need Zelensky anymore, they will get rid of him at their convenience. He is a dead man walking.
Agreed. But pushing him out provides a better survival outcome for him, rather than “abandoning the war”.
Exactly, there's no longer the "freedom & democracy" pretext, just unashamed crass, squalid, limitless, manic avarice.
Graham has zero back bone.
Flip-flopping Sen. Graham is completely out of touch with reality.
Ukraine was scheduled to hold presidential and parliamentary votes in 2024 but was forced to postpone both ballots as the Ukrainian Constitution does not allow national elections during martial law, which was introduced in 2022 and remains in place.
Two of Zelenskyy’s main political rivals, Petro Poroshenko and Yulia Tymoshenko, have publicly rejected the idea of wartime elections as impractical and illegitimate. They say elections should not be held until at least 6 months after the war had ended.
Zelensky: "Lindsey Graham is a very good guy… I can give him Ukrainian citizenship, then his voice will gain weight."
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7bd841bcdcea2c9fff7a677fc3c556f3781ad1bab57a782463ed5fb621997738.jpg
But the Donald without the drag looks every bit the superannuated queen.
Good idea… Lady Lindsey should migrate to Ukraine Permanently…!
For once even Lindsey can see things as they really are!
That's either frightening or terrifying.
There is a lot of truth to what Senator Graham says. The US has never canceled elections because of War, including during our bloody Civil War and WWII. History records that the first thing the British people did after the surrender of Hitler's Germany was to throw their War time leader Winston Churchill out of office. It shocked the world but it powerfully demonstrated the democratic values that the allies said they were fighting for.
Lady Lindsey is doing a 180 degree shift on Ukraine and Zelensky. Like Slow Joe, he was all in on supporting Zelenski until the White House meeting between the three and now after making numerous trips to Ukraine to support his buddy 'Z', he's talking tough against him. Typical shape-shifting politician.
Ok, I'll give Graham his due credit. And it will last as long as it takes me to type this sentence. There, it's over. Graham still sucks.