ICYMI: Chairman Emeritus McCaul on ABC's "This Week"

July 13, 2026 Press Release WARSAW, Poland – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Emeritus Michael McCaul (R-Texas) joined Martha Raddatz on ABC's "This Week" in the wake of Sen. Lindsey Graham's passing to honor his legacy and enduring friendship. McCaul was interviewed from Warsaw, Poland, following his own trip to Ukraine, where he visited with Ukrainian troops near the front lines of the war and received a presidential citation from President Zelensky for his support for Ukraine — especially his work to pass the 2024 supplemental package. In the interview, he discussed Senator Graham's bipartisan sanctions bill, which McCaul and Graham intended to introduce in their respective chambers this week. McCaul still plans to introduce the legislation in the House and champion its passage to honor the senator's legacy. Image Click to watch Excerpts from the interview: On how he will remember his good friend, Senator Lindsey Graham: "Well, first of all, it's a sad day for America. I think the Senate lost a giant today. He was my mentor, my friend. We shared the same worldview that we are strongest at home — the United States is — when we're stronger abroad. He believed in a strong America and a strong foreign policy. He believed in Reagan's peace through strength doctrine. And I think that's how he would like to be remembered. "I also remember so many trips with him and the legendary John McCain. ... [Senator Graham had] a very great sense of humor, but great vision, great ideas. The latest one is the sanctions bill that we've worked on for the last year. We were planning to introduce the sanction bill together this coming week. I will still introduce that bill [in the House], and I think in his honor that we owe it to Lindsey Graham to pass that tough Russian sanctions bill. He would love nothing more than that." On the current status of aid to Ukraine: "Well, I think the biggest aid that we're giving them is through the ISR: Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance. I met with the Defense Intelligence Agency in Ukraine. I have to say, also, the NATO summit had a big impression on Ukraine. Zelensky was very upbeat because two things happened there. One, President Trump agreed to these licensing agreements so that Ukraine can build their own Patriot interceptors to take down the ballistic missile threat, which is their biggest vulnerability right now. But secondly, I think most importantly ... as I was on the front lines, [I could see that there has been a] morale boost to the troops who are, by the way, Martha, winning now. Who would have thought four years ago that they'd be winning the war four years later? ...The political will of the Ukrainians and President Zelensky walking out of that meeting, that was a game changer. [It was] a truly remarkable meeting between President Trump and Zelensky, and I think we're on the right course." On Ukraine's effective use of drone technology and how quickly they can build Patriot systems: "You know, when I passed the emergency wartime supplemental bill, it gave [Ukraine] a lifeline, $60 billion in military equipment, a lifeline to advance to where they are today. Now, they are the leader in the world in terms of drone technology. We need to be in that laboratory. You know, the best testing ground is on the battlefield, and they are learning so much. "You are correct, though; it takes one to two years for Lockheed to make these interceptors. I think the Ukrainians can make them faster. But we have to come up with creative ways to get interceptors in there now. We need to give them a short-term Band-Aid to fix this problem. They're winning in the drone war space. Where they're vulnerable, and I experienced this in Kyiv several nights, are the constant bombardments of ballistic missiles, and Putin knows they're vulnerable here, and we need to help them stop that." On whether Putin is serious about his desire to end the war: "No. The only thing that will end it is maximum pressure to get Putin to the negotiating table. President Zelensky told me just yesterday he's ready for a ceasefire. He's ready to negotiate. The only man stopping this peace process is Mr. Putin. And that won't happen until we put maximum pressure — that being the interceptors, the drones, which are knocking out billions of dollars of Russian equipment and technology, and the Russian sanctions bill that Lindsey Graham wanted so, so much." Issues : Foreign Affairs