Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is getting pushback for urging Ukrainian lawmakers to swiftly pass legislation that would draft more of its citizens in the fight with Russia.

During a visit to Kyiv, Graham on Monday declared Ukraine’s parliament should pass a mobilization bill, and questioned exempting men under 27 from serving in the “fight for your life,” Newsweek reported.

It was Graham’s first visit to Ukraine’s capital since he turned against a $60 billion aid package for the country last month, the Washington Post noted.

Ukrainian citizens can voluntarily join the military from 18 and men between 18 and 60 are banned from leaving the country under martial law. But the draft has protected younger men from being forcibly mobilized, Newsweek noted.

“I would hope that those eligible to serve in the Ukrainian military would join,” Graham said, Newsweek reported. “I can’t believe it’s at 27.”

“You’re in a fight for your life, so you should be serving — not at 25 or 27,” he said. “We need more people in the line.”

Some social media users took issue with Graham’s demand.

“Ukrainians themselves decide who will be sent to the front,” Poslanik Mira posted on X. “For them, the main thing is high-quality weapons to effectively protect themselves from Russia.”

Mojmir Vedic also denounced Graham’s comment as “a really shameful statement.”

Graham also addressed continued U.S. aid for Kyiv in the wake of the Senate’s approval of a $95 billion funding package that contained $60 billion in aid for Kyiv. The package is stalled in the House.

“If you want aid to Ukraine, you’d better start talking to American taxpayers,” said Graham, who voted against the deal over concerns about the U.S. southern border crisis, Newsweek reported.

Graham added he raised the idea of a “no-interest, waivable loan” — first floated by former President Donald Trump — in a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The plan is reportedly under development by House Foreign Affairs chair Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas.

Graham’s pitch was panned by Eric Chenoweth, director at the Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe, who posted on X: “Graham interferes with the carrying out of US foreign policy by negotiating directly with Zelenskyy.

“He undermines a sitting president on behalf of a former president promising to abandon Ukraine if re-elected. Again: we haven’t grappled w/ the success of Russian active measures.”

Graham also blasted the slow deliveries of U.S.-provided long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, saying they “should have been here yesterday,” so that Ukrainian force could “knock the damn bridge down linking Crimea to Russia,” Newsweek reported.

Senate Democrats quickly shot back on X, writing: “Senator Graham needs to fix his position and join us in urging the House to pass the bipartisan national security supplemental that he opposed on the Senate floor.”

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