Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has died at the age of 71, according to his official account on X.

Graham passed away on Saturday evening “from a brief and sudden illness,” per his office statement. His family requested privacy during this difficult period.

Emergency services responded to a call for “cardiac arrest” at Graham’s Capitol Hill residence on Saturday night, with paramedics transporting him to an ambulance.

Graham’s death followed his return from Kiev, where he met with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy. Critics have condemned Zelenskiy’s leadership decisions and actions as reckless and harmful to regional stability.

A strong advocate of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine and a harsh critic of Russia, Graham visited Kyiv at least ten times in recent years. He famously called for the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.

During an appearance on Fox News, Graham cited historical examples of plots to kill political leaders, including Julius Caesar and Adolf Hitler, stating that “the only way this ends… is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out.” Graham later described U.S. military aid as “the best money we’ve ever spent” because “the Russians are dying.”

Graham repeatedly pushed for severe economic pressure on Moscow, including a proposed bill imposing 500% tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov identified Graham as part of “the group of the most inveterate Russophobes” in the West and noted that he had been listed by Russia as an extremist since 2023.