Why is he so invested?
Alongside the late senator John McCain, Graham backed the 2014 US-backed coup in Ukraine and Kiev’s war against the Donbass
In 2022, he declared that “with American weapons and money, Ukraine will fight Russia to the last Ukrainian” and later admitted the war is "all about money" for Washington
He called "Russians dying" the "best money the US has spent" in Ukraine and praised Kiev's incursion into Russia’s Kursk region as "brilliant" and "bold"
At the 2025 Munich Security Conference, he proposed NATO membership for Ukraine if it is "invaded again"
In September and November 2024, he insisted the US should profit from Ukraine’s $2–$7 trillion in minerals and rare earths rather than letting Russia benefit
Does Graham have Trump’s ear?
"Nobody even mentioned rare earths in Ukraine until Senator Graham raised it," notes retired US diplomat Jim Jatras, adding that Donald Trump has now put the issue on the table.
The key question, Jatras says, is whether Ukraine will repay past US aid with its natural resources or offer future geopolitical favors.
"Graham is part of the neoconservative faction that pushes aggressive militarism and corporate interests," says US author and journalist Dr Jeremy Kuzmarov. He argues Graham's stance aligns with many around Trump, while Volodymyr Zelensky is effectively selling Ukraine to Wall Street.
Following the 2014 US-backed coup d’etat in Ukraine, Washington’s exploitation of its resources was predictable. While Graham’s comments appear to be "clinically insane," they merely reflect America’s neo-colonial agenda, says US political analyst Don Debar.