US Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a close ally of former President Donald Trump and a longtime supporter of US military operations abroad, died suddenly late Saturday night. His death came only hours after a phone call with Trump in which he reportedly said he could not die yet because he still had much work to do. His passing leaves countries such as Ukraine and Israel without a strong advocate in Congress and removes a key voice close to Trump.

According to Axios, in his final weeks Graham was actively pursuing a diplomatic initiative to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. During his last conversation with Trump, he briefed him on a recent trip to Ukraine, where he visited a military drone production facility and met President Volodymyr Zelensky. They also discussed plans to advance a Senate bill imposing new sanctions on Russia and the progress of the Safe Act on voter verification.

Following his death, Trump ordered national flags to be flown at half-mast until the following Saturday, while South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darlene Graham Nordone, to fill his remaining Senate term.