Lindsey Graham Rebukes J.D. Vance's 'Garbage' Views

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) meets with U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R) in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 18, 2024.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, took aim at fellow Senator J.D. Vance’s skepticism on providing aid to Ukraine during an interview appearance on Fox News Sunday.

When host Shannon Bream pointed out that Vance, an Ohio Republican, wrote in a recent guest essay for The New York Times that Ukraine doesn’t have the manpower it needs to continue fighting against Russia in its ongoing war, Graham replied:

“That is garbage. I just got back two weeks ago. They’ve got all the manpower they need; they just need weapons,” he said. “I challenge J.D. Vance to go to Ukraine and get a briefing from the Ukrainian military and talk to the Ukrainian people. Then tell me what you think. Quit talking about things you don’t know anything about until you go.”

Graham was joined on the program with Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat. Both senators urged Vance to travel with them to Ukraine on their next trip to the war-torn country.

Newsweek reached out to Vance’s office via his website on Sunday morning for comment.

The Context:

On Saturday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved more than $60 billion in aid to Ukraine after the potentially game-changing assistance for Kyiv languished in Congress for months, mired down by political infighting.

Lawmakers also approved billions more in aid for other U.S. allies like Taiwan and Israel. The Senate will now vote on the package before it heads to President Joe Biden for sign-off.

What We Know:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on Tuesday, potentially helping Kyiv to boost conscription to replenish forces in the country’s ongoing war that began when Russia invaded in February 2022.

The mobilization law is expected to take effect in a month and make it easier to identify every draft-eligible man in the country. Many have dodged conscription by avoiding contact with authorities, according to the Associated Press.

The law also provides soldiers with incentives, such as cash bonuses or money toward buying a house or car.

Views:

In his New York Times essay that was published on April 12 titled, “The Math on Ukraine Doesn’t Add Up,” Vance contends that “Ukraine needs more soldiers than it can field, even with draconian conscription policies. And it needs more matériel than the United States can provide. This reality must inform any future Ukraine policy, from further congressional aid to the diplomatic course set by the president.”

The senator added that Ukraine should use a “defensive strategy” in the war.

“Digging in with old-fashioned ditches, cement and land mines are what enabled Russia to weather Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive. Our allies in Europe could better support such a strategy, as well. While some European countries have provided considerable resources, the burden of military support has thus far fallen heaviest on the United States,” he wrote.

Graham, however, contended on Sunday that firepower is Ukraine’s greatest need.

“If you want American military members to stay out of the fight with Russia, help Ukraine. If they go into a NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] nation, we’re in a fight,” the GOP senator told Bream. “If you pull the plug on Ukraine, there goes Taiwan because China is watching to see what we do.”

Graham added that U.S.-supplied long-range ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems) could be used to carry out attacks on the bridge connecting Crimea and Russia. Crimea was annexed from Ukraine by Moscow in 2014. In addition, he said Kyiv will benefit from additional U.S. F-16 fighter jets.

What’s Next?

Ukrainian officials and Western experts had warned that Kyiv would keep losing territory to Moscow without military aid from the U.S., and that the country was likely to face a new offensive starting as early as late next month. Ukrainian forces have been running low on key supplies, such as ammunition and interceptor missiles for the country’s air-defense systems.

Ukraine has “long fought for” the replenished aid, Zelensky said in a statement, calling the package “very significant.”

“We appreciate every sign of support for our country and its independence, people, and way of life, which Russia is attempting to bury under the rubble,” he said.

“The people of Ukraine are sincerely grateful to the U.S. Congress for the positive voting on the military aid package bill for our country,” Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelensky’s office, said. “It is vital for Ukraine.”

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