Senator Graham Hails Ukraine’s Incursion Into Russia as ‘Bold’, ‘Beautiful’

Of course he showed up in Kiev at this most dangerous moment of the Ukraine war, when uncontrollable escalation is looking more and more inevitable as Putin will now be ‘forced’ to respond to the shock cross-border invasion into Kursk…

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was in the Ukrainian capital on Monday where he praised Ukraine’s move into Russian territory as “brilliant” and “bold”. He also urged the White House to pour more weapons into the fight, and to give Zelensky whatever is needed. Graham provocatively spoke of ‘kicking Putin’s ass’.

“What I think about Kursk? Bold, brilliant, beautiful. Keep it up. Putin started this, kick his ass… Let these people fight! Give them weapons they need to win a war they can’t lose.” – US Senator Lindsey Graham in Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/UczJpujIiz

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 12, 2024

The Republican lawmaker made the trip with fellow anti-Russia hawk, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. “What do I think about Kursk? Bold, brilliant, beautiful. Keep it up,” Graham told reporters.

“Bottom line is to the administration. …Give them weapons they need to win the war they can’t afford to lose,” he continued.

Graham has certainly been no stranger to issuing fiery and ultra-provocative statements which seem aimed at goading Putin and the Kremlin. During a 2023 visit to Ukraine he told Zelensky that “the Russians are dying” and “that’s the best money we’ve ever spent.”

.@SenBlumenthal and @LindseyGrahamSC met Prime Minister @Denys_Shmyhal today to underscore U.S. support for Ukraine in its fight for freedom and to discuss ways to strengthen Ukraine’s economy and deepen our strategic economic relationship. pic.twitter.com/ucTbqn5I8D

— Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) August 12, 2024

Soon after the meeting with the US Senate delegation on Monday, President Zelensky thanked them for strong American support and said on X, “We discussed what exactly is needed to bring this war to a just end, including our need to use long-range weapons.”

What comes next is possibly Ukraine hitting places like Moscow with long-range missiles, something which would likely trigger escalation to WW3. The Europeans will also likely soon feel more blowback from all of these latest provocations as Moscow readies a response.

Satellite photos have shown that gas measuring station in Sudzha, which helps supply Europe, has been badly damaged after Ukraine captured it during the now week-long Kursk offensive…

Ukraine is now claiming that its forces hold 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory, a Monday statement from its defense ministry said. According to more from Bloomberg, Russian officials have admitted that a sizeable chunk of Russian territory is in a state of emergency:

More than 120,000 people have left their homes and about 60,000 more are waiting to be evacuated, Alexey Smirnov told Putin and Russia’s top security officials during a televised meeting on Monday. Ukrainian forces have penetrated at least 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) into Russia and control a border area at least 40 kilometers wide, though there’s “no clear understanding” of where their troops are, he said.

President Putin has issued his first detailed public statements since the incursion began. One thing he stressed in the Monday remarks is that now there will be no peace talks or settlement with Kiev after this extreme provocation.