Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump and a leading voice on US foreign policy, died on Saturday at the age of 71 after what his office described as a short and sudden illness.
Graham represented South Carolina in the US Senate for more than two decades, serving there since 2003.
Before joining the Senate, he served in the House of Representatives after first being elected in 1994.
He was one of the Republican Party’s most prominent voices on foreign policy and defence.
Graham was a strong supporter of war with Iran and a staunch advocate for supporting Ukraine. He had only recently returned from a trip to Kyiv, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday that US Senator Lindsey Graham would leave a “great void” after his sudden death, praising his strong support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
In a message posted online, von der Leyen said Graham had “fought until the very end” to back Ukraine’s struggle for freedom and to increase the cost of Russia’s war of aggression.
She said he had worked tirelessly to strengthen sanctions against Moscow in close co-ordination with the European Union. “Courageous and determined, he will leave a great void,” she added.
Graham’s commitment to Ukraine was underscored by a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday, one day before his death. He was reported to have supported tougher economic sanctions against Russia and its allies.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Zelenskyy said Graham had travelled to Ukraine 10 times since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion and had stood by the Ukrainian people when support was needed most. “America and the world have lost a determined leader,” Zelenskyy said.
