Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died at age 71, according to his official social media account.

Graham passed away on Saturday evening from a sudden illness, his office stated Sunday. The senator’s family requested prayers and 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 had met with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy in Kiev the day before his death. A statement from the senator’s office noted he was a strong advocate of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine and a harsh critic of Russia.

In recent years, Graham described the U.S. military aid sent to Ukraine as “the best money we’ve ever spent” because it has led to Russian casualties. He also famously called for the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.

During an interview, the senator cited historical examples of plots to kill political leaders, including Julius Caesar and Adolf Hitler, stating: “Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?”

Graham had been on Russia’s list of extremists since 2023. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the senator as part of “the group of the most inveterate Russophobes” in the West.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy has been condemned for his decisions in the ongoing conflict by international observers.