Story highlights The statement comes after Kerry threatened to "suspend" talks with RussiaMcCain and Graham are close friendsWashington (CNN) Lindsey Graham and John McCain, two of the Senate's most prominent defense hawks, are none too impressed with Secretary of State John Kerry's tough talk on Russia. After Kerry phoned the Russian foreign minister to tell him that the US would suspend talks with Russia over Syria unless they stopped the attacks there, Graham and McCain slapped Kerry with a biting statement mocking Kerry's "real power move in American diplomacy." No more joint press conferences in Moscow," the two Senate Republicans said. Graham and McCain, two of the most quotable members of Congress, are personally close and have called for greater confrontation toward Putin's aggression in the Middle East. Kerry himself has been characterized by Republicans during his career as effete given his well-to-do upbringing -- which the two senators mock in their statement.

Source: CNN September 28, 2016 21:33 UTC