Laura Loomer, an ardent ally of President Trump who has a reputation for incendiary social media commentary, sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday after a dramatic turnaround on the war that could have political reverberations back in Washington. Loomer had spent years minimizing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and amplifying Russian propaganda to her nearly 2 million followers, but this week she had a change of heart, per the AP. "Just experienced my first air raid in Ukraine. Sirens blaring. This is everyday for every Ukrainian," Loomer wrote on X during her visit to the country. "I often said I don't care. Looking back, that wasn't very nice of me to say."
"We need to have moral clarity," she added on Thursday. It was a stunning reversal for a woman who'd spent years criticizing US support for Ukraine's defense, declaring it "a country full of Nazi apologists"—a claim used by Russia to justify its yearslong invasion—and "led by a Jihadi apologist." The skepticism of Ukraine has been shared by other major conservative influencers, including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. The issue became a major point of contention between more traditional Republicans, like former Vice President Mike Pence, and Trump's MAGA base. Vice President JD Vance was among the earliest and most vocal critics of continued US military aid to the country, and he and Trump clashed with Zelensky in a heated Oval Office meeting.
It was unclear what had prompted Loomer's trip or how she'd arranged the meeting with Zelensky, which she plugged as an interview for her Rumble show, Loomer Unleashed. She posted a photo of the two and later an interview clip in which she asked Zelensky about the Oval Office confrontation and how his relationship with Trump has changed since. Zelensky credited a brief chat at the Vatican for the detente, one he called a "historic moment." Loomer and the White House didn't respond to requests for comment on the trip, but Trump gave his stamp of approval on social media. "Very good!!!" he wrote online on Thursday evening.
The meeting was confirmed earlier by Dmytro Lytvyn, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian president, who said that no Ukrainian government institution had organized the visit. He added that Zelensky's office first learned that Loomer was in Ukraine through social media. "It takes courage to come to Ukraine and not be deterred by Russian propaganda or air raid sirens. Thank you, Laura," Zelensky's office added on Thursday.
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