South Carolina’s senior member of the U.S. Senate expressed outrage after news broke overnight that Russia had invaded neighbor Ukraine with airstrikes or shelling.
He was not the only member of the state’s congressional delegation to do so.
“Our prayers are with #Ukraine. Imperative that we continue to provide Ukraine with defensive weapons as well as good intelligence. The world needs to condemn Putin’s destruction of a neighboring democracy as a war crime,” U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham tweeted Wednesday night.
Their statements, posted to social media, followed news that Russia had launched a full air, land and sea invasion into neighboring Ukraine. Putin has claimed those areas belong to Russia.
Graham called on international law enforcement to seize property belonging to Putin and other prominent Russian officials.
“It’s time to make this personal to Putin,” Graham tweeted.
U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-Springfield, called Russia’s invasion a “one-sided war (that) has no place in the modern world.”
“Putin and his lapdogs have blood on their hands & have robbed the citizens of Russia to perpetrate this war against the citizens of Ukraine,” Wilson tweeted. “Putin will pay for his crimes.”
U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-Rock Hill, called for stronger sanctions against Russia, which are currently being planned by leaders around the world. He said “there can be no doubt that Russia is the aggressor in this war and the enemy of peace worldwide.”
“No one knows how this will end, or how far Russia will go,” Norman tweeted. “But what is almost certain is massive and catastrophic loss of innocent life in the days and weeks to come. Vladimir Putin will be to blame for every single one of those.”
Sen. Tim Scott, R-North Charleston, told the Ukrainian people that the U.S. stands with them in this conflict, and U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace posted to her Twitter account that her prayers are with the people of Ukraine.
“My heart and prayers are with the people of Ukraine during this devastating and unprovoked attack by Putin,” Scott tweeted.
President Joe Biden plans to deliver an address to the country Thursday to speak on the planned “severe sanctions” on Russia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
