{"success":true,"data":{"id":"eda3c59d-ced5-4b20-889e-2b47a105f967","title":"Lindsey Graham’s death deprives Ukraine of a key ally who had Trump’s ear, experts say","summary":"Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Not now Yes please US Edition Change Support Now × \"Clear search box\") Custom Search Sort by Relevance Date NewsNews World CupWorld Cup SportsSports CultureCulture LifestyleLifestyle MoneyMon...","content":"## Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent\n\nNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.\n\nNot now Yes please\n\nUS Edition Change\n\nSupport Now\n\n[×](javascript:void(0) \"Clear search box\")\n\nCustom Search\n\nSort by\n\nRelevance\n\nDate\n\n*   News[News](https://www.independent.co.uk/us)\n\n*   World Cup[World Cup](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup)\n\n*   Sports[Sports](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport)\n\n*   Culture[Culture](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment)\n\n*   Lifestyle[Lifestyle](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style)\n\n*   Money[Money](https://www.independent.co.uk/us/money)\n\n*   Travel[Travel](https://www.independent.co.uk/us/travel)\n\n*   Premium[Premium](https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium)\n\nMore\n\nMore\n\n### Thank you for registering\n\nPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in\n\n# Lindsey Graham’s death deprives Ukraine of a key ally who had Trump’s ear, experts say\n\n## The senator from South Carolina has remained a staunch support of Ukraine despite President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda\n\n[Sophie Clark](https://www.independent.co.uk/author/sophie-clark)Monday 13 July 2026 16:14 BST\n\n*   Copy link  \n*   Bookmark  \n*   [Comments](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/lindsey-graham-death-ukraine-russia-putin-trump-b3013760.html#comments-area)Go to comments  \n\n## Bookmark popover\n\nRemoved from bookmarks\n\nClose popover\n\nPowered By\n\n10 Sec\n\n3.9K\n\n0\n\nWhite House pays tribute to Lindsey Graham with half-mast flags\n\nNext video in\n\nNext\n\nKEEP WATCHING\n\n### Your support helps us to tell the story\n\nFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.\n\nAt such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.\n\nThe Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.\n\n**Your support makes all the difference.**\n\nSenator [Lindsey Graham](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/lindsey-graham-dead-age-health-latest-updates-b3013384.html)’s sudden death has removed a “vital diplomatic buffer between Washington and Kyiv”, experts have said, complicating support for Ukraine at a vital juncture of the war with Russia.\n\nJaroslava Barbieri, a Research Fellow at the Ukraine Forum at Chatham House, told _the Independent_ that Graham has been a critical voice in US foreign policy when it comes to support for Ukraine.\n\nThe Republican senator for South Carolina was one of few vocally pro-Ukraine voices in the Republican Party. He used his leverage in the Senate to lobby for military aid to Ukraine dating back to Russia’s initial illegal invasion of Crimea in 2014, per [CNN](https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/12/europe/ukraine-reaction-nato-lindsey-graham-intl).\n\nopen image in gallery\n\nSenator Lindsey Graham and President Volodymyr Zelensky met days before the senator’s sudden death(AP)\n\nSince the invasion of Crimea, Graham, [a prominent foreign policy hawk](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/us-senator-lindsey-graham-donald-trump-death-b3013384.html), has pushed for legislation that would prevent the U.S. from ever recognising seized Ukrainian land as Russian, maintaining NATO funding, and increasing sanctions on the Russian economy.\n\nHe even once called for someone in Vladimir Putin’s inner circle to assassinate the Russian president, saying they would be “doing your country – and the world – a great service,” per the [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/lindsey-graham-death-ukraine-russia-trump-zelenskyy-3a61ea0c1cf28b15660efa9338adcfee).","source_name":"The Independent","source_url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/lindsey-graham-death-ukraine-russia-putin-trump-b3013760.html","url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/lindsey-graham-death-ukraine-russia-putin-trump-b3013760.html","author":"Sophie Clark","author_name":"Sophie Clark","published_at":"2026-07-13T15:14:49.000Z","publication_date":"2026-07-13T15:14:49.000Z","image_url":"https://static.independent.co.uk/2026/07/12/18/download.-1.","category":"world","topic":"world","tags":[],"political_bias":null,"bias_score":null,"confidence_score":null,"credibility_score":null,"factual_quality":null,"reading_time":3,"word_count":525,"view_count":0,"breaking":false,"breaking_news":false,"ai_analysis":null,"fact_check_status":"unverified","archive_status":"hot"}}