Sen. Lindsey Graham in Greenville: Summer fighting could 'turn tide' in Russia-Ukraine war

After Russia's Interior Ministry issued an arrest warrant for Sen. Lindsey Graham about a week ago, the South Carolina Republican told local reporters Tuesday he expected serious fighting this summer in Russia's war against Ukraine.

The senior senator categorized it as a cluster of events that would "turn the tide" in the conflict.

"My crime was speaking truth to power," Graham said. "Russia has illegally invaded Ukraine. Putin has committed war crimes on an industrial scale, and I'm gonna keep talking about it."

The arrest warrant against Graham came at the heels of an edited video of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the video, Graham said “the Russians are dying” and described the U.S. military assistance to the country as “the best money we’ve ever spent.”

Arrest warrant: Lindsey Graham's 'Russians are dying' comments draw strong Kremlin rebuke: Ukraine updates

He is one among more than 200 U.S. members of Congress banned last year from entering Russia. But he is the only one with an active arrest warrant out, and he treats it as a "badge of honor".

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has been a long-drawn affair and grew into a full-scale war last year when Russian troops annexed eastern parts of Ukraine's territory. The U.S. has since then sent $30 billion worth of military aid to the Ukrainian military. In March 2023, the U.S. pledged to send another $400 million in military equipment.

Graham said Ukraine needed more funding to set an example and deter China from occupying Taiwan. But the recent debt limit deal brokered in Washington D.C. did not help matters, he said.

Here are key takeaways from his Greenville press conference:

Graham: Now's not the time to fund the military below inflation

The current debt ceiling agreement increased defense spending to $886 billion, which is a 3% increase from last year and the largest defense budget in U.S. history. Graham said it was President Joe Biden's original budget request. Graham's biggest criticism of the funding was that it was below inflation and would not help ramp up warships the U.S. needed to have a greater presence in the Pacific Ocean. "The number picked in this debt ceiling deal for the military is 2% below inflation. It's a real cut," he said.

Debt ceiling: No default, but not everyone emerged a winner from debt ceiling deal

But any efforts to increase defense spending may find an uphill battle, Politico reported. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California, told reporters there was a need to reform the Department of Defense.

House Republicans opened a probe earlier this year after the Government Accountability Office reported that the U.S. Dept. of Defense failed to accurately account for government property provided to defense contractors, including weapons, equipment and technology. The lawmakers said 61% of the Pentagon's assets worth $3.5 trillion are not accounted for.

When asked about Pentagon's failure in passing the audit, Graham said their assets were not unaccounted for.

"We need to keep auditing the Pentagon and I'm open-minded to trying to find savings in the Pentagon," he said.

"Virtually 50% of all military spending is personnel costs. So what you're left with is to buy the weapons," Graham said. "I'm not looking for a fair fight. The weapons we sent Ukraine work."According to the Office of Management and Budget, roughly a quarter of the defense budget is slated for military personnel. A bigger slice of the budget goes into operations and maintenance services (38%).

Graham on Haley, Scott in presidential race: 'I've never been more proud of SC'

Though Graham has endorsed and is part of former President Donald Trump's leadership team in S.C., he said he was elated to see former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley and junior South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott's foray into the presidential field.

Graham referenced Haley's CNN Townhall and said "She did a fantastic job— particularly on foreign policy." He said she was articulate and walked everyone through the threats. "Why if you let Putin get away with evading Ukraine, you're gonna get more war," he said recounting her words during the town hall.

In her town hall, Haley also criticized Trump for congratulating dictator Kim Jong Un on North Korea's new position with the World Health Organization. She said Un is a "thug" and that there is "no reason" to congratulate him for anything.

Graham seemed to agree. "The criticism about congratulating someone that brutal I think is well founded. But President Trump believes that personal relationships made the world stable," he said.

More: 'We'll do what it takes.' SC parents of transgender youth anxious due to anti-trans fervor

On Scott, Graham said the North Charleston native's appearance on the View with host Sunny Hostin was a force of nature.

"He went to the belly of the beast and he spoke loud and he spoke proud about the opportunities America presents to everybody," Graham said. "We're not a perfect nation, but I think Tim rejected the idea that success by him and others is an exception, not the rule."

Scott has been embroiled in a war of words with panelists of the show about whether systemic racism still exists in the U.S. or not.

As the presidential race marches on, candidates like Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have ramped up anti-transgender rhetoric. They have criticized the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports and also berated gender-affirming care.

"I try to be tolerant of people's lifestyle choices to the point where other people have rights," Graham said. "This idea of allowing major surgery, transition, surgery and medication for a minor— I find is out of bounds. I think that's something that should only be done once you get to an age of consent," he said.

Gender-affirming care is a patchwork of healthcare tools like counseling, puberty blockers and hormones. Medical experts from groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics have said surgery is only recommended for those over 18.

"I don't say this with animosity, but the idea of life-changing surgery for a young child in this space seems to be something that we should be very wary of."

Devyani Chhetri covers South Carolina politics for the Greenville News and USA Today Network. Reach her via email at dchhetri@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Sen. Lindsey Graham in Greenville: Summer 'turn tide' in Russia-Ukraine