Trump Meets Netanyahu and Zelenskyy at Graham Funeral Amid Iran, Ukraine Wars

Washington paid its respects Tuesday to Sen. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican whose sudden death at 71 last month left a notable absence among the capital’s foreign policy elite. President Donald Trump delivered the main tribute at a private service at Washington National Cathedral, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sat among the invited guests. The day’s events also included a brief ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda honoring Graham’s Air Force service and more than three decades in Congress.

Graham died July 11 from an aortic dissection tied to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, shortly after returning from a trip that included a visit to Zelenskyy in Kyiv. He had been advancing legislation to tighten sanctions on Russia. His younger sister, Darline Graham Nordon, appointed to complete his term, attended both services and is now campaigning for a full Senate term in an August primary.

The funeral unfolded against the backdrop of two grinding conflicts. Zelenskyy arrived seeking additional anti-ballistic missile systems and renewed momentum for talks with Moscow. Netanyahu, meanwhile, met Trump at the White House for the first time since the collapse of an earlier ceasefire in the Iran war, a conflict that has exposed growing friction between the two leaders over the pace and scope of military action. Graham had long pressed for stronger U.S. involvement in both theaters, a stance that once put him at odds with Trump during the 2016 campaign but later made him a reliable ally on Capitol Hill.

Colleagues recalled Graham’s ability to forge bipartisan deals even as his hawkish views drew criticism from those wary of endless American commitments abroad. Senate Majority Leader John Thune noted that Graham had become more than a colleague to many lawmakers. Yet the presence of Netanyahu and Zelenskyy underscored how Graham’s preferred approach—sustained military pressure and sanctions—remains central to the very wars now testing Trump’s second-term agenda.

A short arrival ceremony at the Capitol featured an Armed Forces Body Bearer team and a Capitol Police memorial guard. The private Rotunda event was livestreamed, as was the later cathedral service. Additional observances are scheduled in South Carolina on Wednesday, including a public funeral at First Baptist Church of Columbia and a private burial in Pickens County.

Graham’s career traced an arc familiar to many Washington observers: from small-town roots and early criticism of Trump to a prominent role advising on Iran, Ukraine and Russia policy. His death leaves an open question about whether the Senate’s remaining voices will sustain the same level of enthusiasm for deeper U.S. engagement in distant conflicts. For now, the capital’s farewell focused on his decades of service rather than the unresolved debates his absence leaves behind.