It’s not the war in Ukraine that gives Graham, the South Carolina Republican, the jitters. That would be the idea of Iran with a nuclear weapon.
“And they’re way too close,” he said on Washington Watch Tuesday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday the U.S. and Ukraine are very close to reaching agreement on a deal that would allow the U.S. to share in Ukraine’s rare earth minerals which are valued at an estimated $500 billion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to sign the deal during a White House visit Friday.
Rubio, using a football metaphor, said the likelihood of a successful deal for mineral rights is inside the 1-yard line. That’s good news, but what will the world map look like when the dust settles?
Graham and Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pennsylvania) have differing opinions and predictions.
Graham told show host Tony Perkins that some loss of Ukrainian territory is acceptable if it leads to longer-term peace goals. The real goal here, he said, is to prevent a third invasion from Russia as Vladimir Putin seeks to rebuild the glory of the former Soviet Union.
The U.S. will not guarantee security for Ukraine as part of the mineral rights deal but it does incentivize the U.S.
“That gives us something to defend," Graham explained. "We’ll have an economic interest. We’ve never had that before, and it makes Ukraine very valuable.”
The U.S. having an economic interest in Ukraine “makes it less likely Russia would invade because they’d be hitting American companies,” Graham said.
Perry, however, says it doesn’t have to be that way.
Graham touts U.S. arming Ukraine
The U.S. should continue to support the Ukrainian military by selling weapons, not giving them away, Graham said.
“They’re the most lethal army on the continent of Europe," he observed. "I want to make them stronger over the next decade by buying American weapons, which is good for our economy.”
Graham's cheerleading for the U.S. defense industry, however, is why the U.S. senator is often called a "warhawk" and a "neocon," which are not compliments, by his critics.
European troops should be on the ground policing the ceasefire, he said.
“If we do these three things, Putin won’t invade again, and we will not only get our money back from Ukraine but will make money. Only President Trump can do this,” Graham said.
Peace in Ukraine can be achieved without admitting Ukraine into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), something Putin fiercely opposes, Graham said.
A violation against NATO would in fact commit U.S. troops for security.
Graham calls NATO membership for Ukraine a “bridge too far” for Russia. However, Ukrainian membership could be a good thing down the road, and it could be Russia that makes the call.
“My idea is if they ever invade Ukraine again, Ukraine automatically goes into NATO. Let Russia be a tripwire," he observed.
The land swap will be some level of appeasement for Putin but a necessary one to end the war. Ukraine will decide what it can accept, but it’s the only way to reach a successful outcome which guarantees Russia won’t invade again, Graham said.
Perry said Zelenskyy’s claim over the weekend that he would step down as president if it meant “peace for Ukraine” is a bargaining chip to consider.
“I would modify that deal if I were President Trump. I would say, look, if Zelenskyy is willing to step aside, Ukraine's original territory must be restored,” he told Perkins.
Perry downplayed the significance of NATO.
“I see NATO as an organization that really hasn't produced much over the course of its time, and I wouldn't make that a sticking point to resolve this conflict,” he said.
At the end of the day, peace must be lasting. It will have effects far beyond Russia and Ukraine, Graham said.
“My goal is to make sure that Ukraine is a sovereign, independent, democratic nation when this war is over,” Graham said.
Others are watching, including Iran
If Trump makes the right steps here, China will be less likely to invade Taiwan, and Iran is also watching, he said.
Iran has changed its preparedness level to “high alert” amid fears of an attack on its nuclear sites by Israel and the U.S., The Telegraph of London reports.
“It’s not Russia-Ukraine that keeps me up at night. It’s the Ayatollah, a religious Nazi, having a nuclear weapon because I think he would use it against Israel to wipe them off the map,” Graham said.
Israel sent a message last fall, its strikes against Iran targeting air defense systems at its energy sites.
Graham, who has long support an IDF military attack on Iran, says the U.S. should help Israel in any attack on Iran’s nuclear sites.
“Iran is exposed. They’ve never been this weak. President Trump, give Israel the green light help them degrade the Iranian nuclear program then talk to the Arabs about peace,” he said.
