Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has died after a “brief and sudden illness,” his office announced on Saturday.
In a statement, Graham’s office said: “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”
The 71-year-old lawmaker had represented South Carolina in the US Senate since 2003 and was widely regarded as one of Washington’s most influential voices on foreign policy. He also served as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was a close ally of President Donald Trump.
His death came just a day after he returned from Kyiv, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday. There had been no public indication that Graham was experiencing any health problems before the trip.
Reacting to the news, President Trump paid tribute to the late senator, describing him as a “true American patriot.”
Graham was among the strongest advocates for continued US support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. During an interview with the BBC in 2023, he warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions extended beyond Ukraine.
“Putin will not stop in Ukraine,” Graham said. “To be weak in Ukraine means that you lose in Taiwan.”
During his latest visit to Ukraine, Graham was working on a revised Russia sanctions bill, saying it would provide “tools to President Trump to end this war.”
Although Graham and Trump had a turbulent relationship in the past, the senator eventually became one of the president’s most loyal supporters.
Speaking to the BBC in 2023, Graham acknowledged Trump’s flaws but defended his record in office.
“There is a dark side to Donald Trump… and he was a very good president. But I am sticking with him because I saw what he did,” Graham said, citing Trump’s border policies, the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and his appointment of conservative judges to the federal judiciary.
His death marks the end of a political career spanning more than two decades in the Senate, during which he played a leading role in shaping US foreign and national security policy.