China sending “lethal support” to Russia would be “catastrophic” for U.S.-China relations, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) warned on Sunday.
Appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” Graham was responding to a claim by Secretary of State Antony Blinken that China is contemplating such a move. He also pressured the Biden administration to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
“To the Chinese, if you jump on the Putin train now, you’re dumber than dirt, it would be like buying a ticket on the Titanic after you saw the movie,” Graham said. “Don’t do this. The most catastrophic thing that could happen to the U.S.-China relationship, in my opinion, is for China to give lethal weapons to Putin in his crime against humanity.”
“That would change everything forever,” he added.
“If you jump on the Putin train now, you're dumber than dirt. It would be like buying a ticket on the Titanic after you saw the movie. Don't do this.”
GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham warns China against providing "lethal" weapons to Russia. https://t.co/GQOqVCT6NF pic.twitter.com/xZdpISFkol
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 19, 2023
Blinken said he recently met with his Chinese counterpart, and conveyed that arming Russia would be a “serious problem.” He admitted Sunday, however, that China has already been engaged in “rhetorical, political, [and] diplomatic support to Russia.”
Just weeks before the Russian invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping met and declared a partnership with “no limits” and “no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation.”
In addition to his warning to China, Graham struck a tough tone on Russia, advocating for training Ukrainians to fly F-16s and creating an international tribunal to try Putin for war crimes.
“How can you call this war by Russia a crime against humanity, that’s what the vice president did in Munich, and we’re talking about Germany, we’re talking about the vice president of the United States declaring that Russia is involved in crimes against humanity … how can you say that — and she is correct — and not give the victims of the crime against humanity the defensive weapons they need to stop the crime,” Graham said.
The senator says that under United States law, China will be sanctioned should they send aid or weapons to Russia if Russia is designated as a state sponsor of terrorism. Graham had previously co-sponsored a bill to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism in September.