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Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is urging the Biden administration to "personally" punish Russian President Vladimir Putin and "his cronies" for attacking Ukraine.
Graham described Putin as a "war criminal" for invading Ukraine, while insisting that Biden "continues to misread the moment" in a statement obtained by Newsweek on Thursday. The South Carolina Republican pushed the president to "demand" that allies join in a fight to bring Putin and his allies "to account."
"We should not be seeking permission from allies to go after Putin and his cronies," Graham said. "We should move ahead forcefully against Putin, a war criminal, and demand our allies join us!"
"Putin and his inner circle live large all over the world," he continued. "It is past time for democracies to bring him to account. Not giving clarity to Putin about what would happen if he invaded Ukraine was a mistake. Not going after him personally is an even bigger mistake. The only language Putin understands is strength."
Graham also shared the remarks on Twitter alongside a Fox News article about Biden announcing a new round of sanctions against Russia that did not take action against Putin himself. Biden has described the new measures as "severe."
Graham was not alone in calling on the president to go further. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have called for Putin to be personally sanctioned.
While there has been largely bipartisan support for punishing Russia over the invasion, former President Donald Trump has praised Putin's military moves in Ukraine as "genius" and "smart."
Graham, who has described Putin as a "thug," is one of several Trump allies to have spoken out against the Russian president despite Trump seemingly approving of his strategy.
Republicans have overwhelming blamed what they see as the "weakness" of the Biden administration for Putin's decision to invade. During a Newsmax interview earlier in the day, Graham backed Trump's assertion that the invasion never would have happened under his watch.
In the interview, Graham also called Putin a "bully" and a war criminal for violating a 1994 agreement that included assurances that Russia would never invade Ukraine, while comparing him to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
"He invaded a sovereign nation against all legal norms, he's indiscriminately killing civilians," said Graham. "Britain, the United States and Russia signed that agreement. So, Putin tore it up like Hitler did, and there needs to be a price."
"He's a war criminal," he added. "But he's a crook and a thug and we need to go after him personally."
In addition, Graham noted that he had dined with the ex-president on Thursday morning—despite Trump calling him a "RINO," or "Republican in name only," earlier this month for disagreeing with his suggestion of pardoning January 6 Capitol rioters.
On Wednesday, Fox News host and Trump loyalist Tucker Carlson blasted Graham for making a previous comparison between Putin and Hitler and warning that the Ukraine invasion could lead to higher U.S. food and gas prices. Earlier in the week, Carlson urged his viewers to not "hate" Putin.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment.
About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more