Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has said that the United States should not worry about provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin by helping Ukraine in its war against Russia.
On Feb. 19, ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, Graham called on the United States to train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 multirole fighter jet, and designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
“The British are training Ukrainian pilots. I believe a decision will be imminent here when we get back to Washington that the administration will start training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16. They need the weapons system,” he said on ABC’s “This Week” on Feb. 19.
Graham also responded to Vice President Kamala Harris telling the Munich Security Conference that Russia has committed crimes against humanity.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 18, 2023. (Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters)“And let me just stress this—how can you call this war by Russia a crime against humanity, and that’s what the vice president did in Munich—now, we’re talking about Germany.
“We’re talking about the vice president of [the] United States declaring that Russia is involved in crimes against humanity in Germany of all places, you know, echoes of World War II.
“How can she say that—and she is correct—and not give the victim of the crime against humanity the defensive weapons they need to stop the crime?
“So we need to do two things quickly, make Russia a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law, which would make it harder for China to give weapons to Russia, and we need to start training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 now.”
The State Department and the Russian embassy in the United States did not respond to an Epoch Times request for comment about Graham’s call for the designation.
Crimes Against Humanity
In her speech in front of the conference on Feb. 18, Harris said, “In the case of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, we have examined the evidence, we know the legal standards, and there is no doubt: These are crimes against humanity.”
“To all those who have perpetrated these crimes, and to their superiors who are complicit in those crimes, you will be held to account,” she added.
The only countries the United States has designated as state sponsors of terrorism are Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Syria.
Designating a country a state sponsor of terrorism would “include restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defense exports and sales; certain controls over exports of dual-use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions,” according to the State Department.
However, President Joe Biden simply said “no” in September to designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre explained that such a designation would backfire.
“This designation could have unintended consequences to Ukraine, and the world,” she said. “For example, according to humanitarian experts and NGOs, we have spoken to, it could seriously affect the ability to deliver assistance in areas of Ukraine.”
‘Undercut’ Multilateral Conditions
Jean-Pierre also said that enacting the designation “could drive critical humanitarian and commercial actors away from facilitating food exports to help mitigate the global food crisis and jeopardize the Black Sea ports deal that has already led to over a million tons of Ukrainian food exports reaching the world, including those in [the] Horn of Africa.
“It will also undercut unprecedented multilateral conditions that have been so effective in holding Putin accountable and could also undermine our ability to support Ukraine at the negotiating table.”
As it pertains to transferring fighter jets to Ukraine, the United States has so far refused to do so.
In response to “This Week” anchor Martha Raddatz pointing out the notion from U.S. allies that providing Ukraine with long-range missiles and F-16s could “provoke” Russia, Graham said that should not be a concern.
“I’m not worried about provoking Putin. I want to beat him. And how do you beat him? You beat him by giving the Ukrainians the military capability to drive the Russians out of Ukraine.
“You label Putin’s Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. You create international tribunals so we actually can try Putin and his cronies in the international court like we did after World War II.
“Don’t worry about provoking Putin, worry about beating him. And I’ve never been more optimistic about winning this war in Ukraine than I am right now. I see solidarity across the aisle in America and across the seas.”
