Former US VP calls for Graham's name on Russia sanctions bill

Former US Vice President Mike Pence has called for a new sanctions bill targeting Russia to be named in honour of one of its authors, late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

In an interview with Fox News, he said it would be entirely appropriate to include Senator Lindsey Graham's name in this legislation, Caliber.Az reports.

“Send it to the president, have him sign it into law," Pence noted.

According to the former vice president, such a move would honour Graham's memory and recognise his long-standing efforts to tighten sanctions against Russia and support Ukraine.

Graham died on July 11 at the age of 71. The cause of death was an aortic dissection.

Pence made it clear that the late Senator Lindsey Graham regarded Russia's invasion of Ukraine as one of the defining geopolitical challenges of the modern era and believed sustained economic pressure was necessary to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.

"He never had any illusions about who we were dealing with — with Vladimir Putin," Pence added.

According to him, Graham viewed Ukraine as "a frontier of freedom" and consistently urged both Republican and Democratic administrations to stand firmly alongside America's allies.

Asked whether the Russia sanctions legislation could ultimately become Graham's most significant legacy, Pence suggested it could shape how the veteran senator is remembered.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov