Graham urges more aid to 'trillion dollars’ worth of minerals' Ukraine
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Ukrainians should receive continued US support because they are sitting on trillions of dollars worth of resources that can help the US economy, according to Lindsey Graham.
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United States Senator Lindsey Graham gestures as he speaks to the media in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 18, 2024. (AP)
United States Senator Lindsey Graham stressed Washington's need for Ukrainian natural resources.
The infamous Republican warmonger spoke in Kiev on Friday, alongside Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, and said that Ukrainians are "sitting on a trillion dollars worth of minerals that could be good to help our economy."
Graham followed up the remarks with the need to "keep helping our friends in Ukraine."
The Senator posted a video of himself on X, where he made the case for why the US must continue supporting Ukraine. He explained that Kiev is fighting Russia and needs military aid from the US instead of troops to fight there.
He also wrote in a follow-up post, that he "enjoyed" a US congressional delegation's meeting with the Ukrainian President.
Graham also called for US restrictions on the use of its weapons by Ukrainians to be lifted.
"It is long past time that we allow Ukraine to use long-range U.S. weapons to maximum effect to hit Russian air bases," he wrote.
Read more: Zelensky fails to convince West to allow strikes on Russia
Graham: Ex-NATO pilots should fly Ukraine's F-16s
He also urged the participation of retired NATO F-16 pilots to "get in the fight." This statement is probably the most outrageous of Graham's remarks, as NATO has avoided any direct military involvement in the war.
It is worth noting that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are likely to face significant challenges in operating the F-16 fighter jets they have received—and are expected to receive—from Western countries. This is due to the fact that authorities have not been able to recruit enough pilots to fly the F-16 squadrons due to language barriers and inexperience with Western jets.
"I will be returning to Washington more dedicated than ever to putting pressure on the Biden Administration to lift the weapons restrictions on Ukraine and get retired, combat-tested NATO F-16 pilots in the cockpit in Ukraine," he emphasized.
Read more: US contractor lists jobs for F-16 trainers for Ukrainians in Romania
Paying off war debt, resource-rich Donbass
Since the start of the war in February 2022, Ukraine's debt position has only gotten worse, as the country's economy continues to deteriorate and debt servicing costs rise. Ukrainian public debt is expected to reach $286.75 billion in 2029, which the country will find difficult to pay off or maintain.
As the West remains steadfast in its policy to blindly support the war and with no political solution on the horizon, the situation is only expected to get worse. In a bid to obtain more Western weapons, Zelensky had even asked for loans to finance war efforts.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev published a statement on Telegram explaining why Ukraine and its allies were actively fighting for the Donbass region.
According to Medvedev, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which officially joined Russia along with the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions in the fall of 2022, are "completely alien" to Ukraine culturally. Writing on Telegram, Medvedev explained that the Kiev authorities are so desperate to reclaim these regions for a simple reason: "Money is needed."
Medvedev, who serves as deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, stated that the "criminal clique" led by Ukrainian leader Zelensky has driven the country's economy into "disaster". He also pointed out that Kiev's backers in the US and the European Union have "spent a lot" on supporting Ukraine during the conflict, which "irritates" their populations.
The West expects a "payback" from Ukraine, but this has nothing to do with Zelensky personally, he said.
"This kid will be gone soon, but the debt will remain. And it must be paid off, with interest," the former President remarked.
Open-source data estimate the natural resources in Donbass to be worth $7.3 trillion. The region is rich in coal, metals, rare-earth elements, and other valuable materials, including lithium.
"To get access to the coveted minerals, the Western parasites shamelessly demand that their wards [in Kiev] wage war to the last Ukrainian," he wrote.
Read more: Ukraine to receive $800Mln from US for energy infrastructure repair
