US Senator Lindsey Graham’s call to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin is terrorist, so if Washington does not take measures against Graham, it will have a further destructive impact on its relationship with Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
“It was emphasized that it was a public, in fact terrorist call, which is absolutely unacceptable for a high-ranking elected official. Therefore, if the US administration does not take real measures, leaving no room for ambiguity, it will have a further devastating effect on the Russian-US relations, which are already deplorable,” the statement says.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov handed a note of protest to US Ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan on Saturday over the senator’s provocative statements.
“John Sullivan was told that such an insult is defined by the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation as an attempt on the life of a state official and entails grave consequences, including criminal prosecution,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said earlier that Graham’s call, which he posted on his Twitter page, is “not the position of the United States government”.
Itar Tass