GOP senator says Graham ‘really felt he was making great strides’ on Russia sanctions bill before death

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Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) on Sunday said that the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) really felt as he was “making great strides” towards a Russia sanctions bill before he died at the age of 71 due to a “brief and sudden illness.”

“We were just in Ankara, Turkey for the NATO summit together. He came in. We met with, among others, [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelensky. Clearly, they had a good personal friendship as well,” Rounds said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.”

“But he was very proud of the work he was doing with regard to the Russian sanctions bill that he’s been working on for over a year on a bipartisan basis. And he really felt he was making great strides to be able to put it all together when we come back into session this week,” he added.

Rounds’ comments follow a statement from Graham and Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) last week that said lawmakers reached an agreement with the White House regarding language for a Russia sanctions bill.

“As Russia intensifies its slaughter of civilians, it is imperative that the legislative and executive branches work together to create tools to exact a heavy price on those who buy Russian oil and natural gas, fueling the Putin war machine,” the four lawmakers collectively wrote.

The statement coincided with Graham’s 10th trip to Ukraine where, he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss “long-range sanctions pressure on Russia” as the four-year war drags on.

Zelensky mourned Graham’s death on Sunday, in a post on the social media platform X that described the late lawmaker as a “staunch advocate” for bipartisan and bicameral support for Ukraine.

“America and the world have lost a determined leader,” the Ukrainian president later added.

On Sunday, Rounds said Graham “was one of these guys who really was devoted to the United States.”

“He was devoted to his job. Wherever he felt he was needed, he was going to go. And that meant overseas a lot,” he added.

Rounds continued, “He cared deeply about U.S. policy overseas. He was a hawk. He truly believed that the United States had a role to play internationally. And he wasn’t afraid to share with people the need to be the law enforcement officer for the rest of the world when it was necessary to protect U.S. interests. He was also a very good friend.”

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Jeanne Shaheen

Lindsey Graham

Mike Rounds

NewsNation "The Hill Sunday"

Richard Blumenthal

Roger Wicker

Sen. Lindsey Graham death

Sen. Mike Rounds

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

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