Senator Graham suggested that Ukraine should be immediately admitted to NATO if Russia launches a second attack.

He discussed this during a presentation at the panel titled "Strategic Investments: The Future of Ukrainian-American Security Cooperation" at the Munich Security Conference.

Graham pointed out that "no one wants to be a provocateur" and that "Putin will simply go mad" at the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO. However, he suggested "scaring" Putin so that he "thinks twice" before launching another attack on Ukraine.

"I want Putin to know that if he does this again someday, Ukraine will immediately join NATO. I want this to be no secret to him," Graham explained.

In addition to Ukraine's swift accession to NATO, Graham mentioned other potential defensive measures against a new attack, such as sanctions, Western troops on Ukrainian territory, and American business interests.

It is worth noting that during this panel, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the United States has never viewed Ukraine as a NATO member, despite claiming otherwise. However, the head of state believes that this position can be changed.

What preceded this?

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he does not consider Ukraine's NATO membership "practical". Prior to this, he criticized his predecessor Joe Biden for supporting Ukraine's NATO accession. During the election campaign, he also mentioned that discussions about Ukraine joining NATO provoked Russia into war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that the U.S., Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia "did not see" Ukraine in NATO. However, he explained that the country's NATO membership would be the cheapest security guarantee for the U.S., Europe, and Ukraine itself.

The head of state also noted that if Ukraine does not become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance, it is necessary to build its own NATO.