Even in death, Lindsey Graham is driving diplomacy forward

WASHINGTON – Lindsey Graham’s bipartisan relationships and stature on the global stage drove world events one last time Tuesday, as a gathering for his funeral produced a possibility for peace.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in town for Graham’s memorial service, had a “productive” meeting with President Trump at the White House that resulted in diplomatic wins — a restart of peace talks and a bipartisan rallying around a Russia sanctions bill that Graham pushed in his final breaths.Graham was one of Ukraine’s biggest champions.

Known for his frequent international travel to war zones and his efforts to shape American foreign policy, the late senator was also a passionate supporter of Israel.Both Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended his funeral service at the National Cathedral.Before the somber gathering, Zelensky walked out of a White House meeting with good news.

Trump’s top two envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will soon travel to Ukraine for the first time, shifting the peace talks from Moscow to Kyiv in a big breakthrough for the Ukrainian leader. A Ukrainian official confirmed plans for Witkoff and Kushner’s visit soon after Trump and Zelensky met behind closed doors for almost exactly one hour at the White House Tuesday morning, during which they discussed stalled peace talks with Russia as well as Zelensky’s request for more American weapons.The visit by Witkoff, who was also at Graham’s funeral, and Kushner is expected to take place within the next few weeks, but their schedule is not yet finalized.The pair will focus on jump-starting negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.Witkoff, 69, has traveled to Russia at least eight times — accompanied by Kushner on one occasion — as the Trump administration has tried to coax Russian President Vladimir Putin back to the bargaining table. But now they’ll go to Kyiv.

And Zelensky, in his short visit to the US, also made progress on his desire to ...