Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the closest political allies of US President Donald Trump, has died at the age of 71 following a "short and sudden illness."
In a released statement from his office, it is noted that he passed away on Saturday evening, and his family has requested "appropriate respect for their privacy during this extremely difficult time."
Graham was elected senator from the state of South Carolina in 2002 and for decades was among the most influential voices in Washington on issues of foreign policy and national security. He also served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee.
Just days before his death, Lindsey Graham returned from a visit to Kyiv, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday. According to information from his inner circle, no serious health problems were known before his trip.
In a social media message regarding his passing, President Donald Trump described Graham as a "true American patriot."
The senator was one of the strongest advocates for continued US support for Ukraine. During his last visit to the country, he was working on a new version of a bill for sanctions against Russia, which he stated would provide "the tools for President Trump to end this war."
Back in 2023, in an interview with the BBC, he warned: "Putin will not stop in Ukraine. To be weak in Ukraine is to lose in Taiwan."
His political biography was also marked by an initial sharp opposition to Trump. In 2015, he told CNN that the then-candidate was a "race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot," and in the heat of the 2016 campaign, he wrote on social media: "If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed... and we will deserve it."
After the Capitol riot in January 2021, Graham said in a speech from the Senate floor: "Trump and I have been through a hell of a journey. I hate it that it ends this way. All I can say is, count me out. Enough is enough."
Later, however, he became one of Trump's most loyal defenders. He voted against his conviction in the 2021 impeachment trial and supported him in the 2024 presidential election.
In an interview with the BBC in 2023, Graham summarized his position: "There is a dark side to Donald Trump... and he was a very good president. But I'm sticking with him because I saw what he did." As arguments, he cited policy on the US southern border, the elimination of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani, and the appointment of conservative judges.
The senator's website emphasizes that he "consistently pushed for solutions in the war on terror that would protect the long-term national security interests of the US." Graham was among the sharpest critics of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021, describing it as a "sad and dangerous moment for the national security of the United States."
"Jihadists all over the world are celebrating," he commented at the time. "America will be perceived as weak."
Lindsey Graham was also a consistent supporter of Israel. The country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu honored him in a statement, saying that "Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inextricably linked." Netanyahu added that Israel has lost "one of its greatest friends."