Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Tuesday that President Biden “folded is like a cheap suit” when he rejected a plan from Poland to transfer MiG fighter jets to Ukraine as it resists Russia’s invasion.
During an appearance on Fox News’s “Faulkner Focus,” Graham told host Harris Faulkner that the Biden administration was intimidated by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his officials when it pulled out of the MiG transfer with Poland due to the fear of escalation with Russia.
“He’s AWOL,” Graham said of Biden, noting that Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared to support the transfer, in which the U.S. would have backfilled Poland’s military with more modern fighter jets, before pulling out of the plan once it was made public by Poland.
“What I think happened is that the Russians told Biden and his team that if you send these MiGs and that will be an escalation and they were intimidated by Putin,” Graham said.
“We can’t let Putin determine what we do to help the Ukraine,” he added. “So no, I think the President folded like a cheap suit.”
Graham also told Faulkner that he disagrees with UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s assessment that the conflict is inching toward a nuclear war, adding he plans to introduce legislation on sending the MiG fighter jets to Ukraine.
“I’m going to introduce a resolution supporting the transfer of the MiGs and other any aircraft systems to Ukraine and have every member of Senate vote on it,” Graham told Faulkner. “I’m tired of sitting on the sidelines and watch[ing] this administration … conduct policy as if they’re a deer in the headlight.”
Graham’s latest remarks come after he said Monday that he would support a no-fly zone in Ukraine if Russian forces use chemical weapons in Ukraine.
The Biden administration has avoided drawing “red lines” in terms of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, but has said Putin will pay a “severe price” should it use chemical weapons in its war on Ukraine.
The White House has also opposed imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, mainly due to concerns that direct fighting between U.S. and Russian aircraft could quickly spiral into a larger war between nuclear powers.