The Biden administration should declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, which would allow the United States to punish countries that help it in its war against Ukraine, including China, Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday.
The South Carolina Republican, speaking from the Munich Security Conference in Germany, also told ABC News' "This Week" that China will be making a huge mistake by providing lethal aid to Russia to use against Ukraine.
"If you jump on the Putin train, you’re dumber than dirt," Graham told show co-anchor Martha Raddatz. "It would be like buying a ticket on the Titanic after you saw the movie.”
Graham further said that it was "big news" to him to hear Secretary of State Antony Blinken discuss his conversation with Wang Yi, his Chinese counterpart over the growing concern from the United States that China is considering providing lethal support to Russia against Ukraine.
"If that happens, the world needs to come down hard on China because if you believe, as I do, and the vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, believes, that Russia is engaged in crimes against humanity in Ukraine, any country that comes to their aid should pay a heavy price," said Graham. "So, that's why we should designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism because if you do that under U.S. law, and China provides lethal weapons, they will get sanctioned."
Further, he told Raddatz that the "most catastrophic thing" that could happen to the relationship between the United States and China would be for China to give lethal weapons to Russia.
"That would change everything forever," said Graham.
The senator also cited Harris' statement from the weekend that Russia is committing crimes against humanity in the war in Ukraine in his call for Russia to join Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria as designated state sponsors of terror, and said that the rule of law, human decency, and world order are at stake.
"Once you call Russia as being engaged in crimes against humanity, you have to have actions consistent with that statement, so I’m looking for this administration to follow up on that statement by designating Russia a state-sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law," said Graham. "One hundred senators urged the administration to do that. And I’m also urging the administration to start F-16 training now for Ukrainian pilots."
He also said the United States should not be worried about provoking Putin but instead focus on defeating him in Ukraine, "because he will not stop if we do not."
Graham said he's "never been more optimistic" about Russia's defeat in Ukraine because of the solidarity he's seeing in the United States and among European allies.
The senator also accused China of lying about the balloon that crossed the United States earlier this month.
"It's not a weather balloon; it's a spy balloon," he said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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