Trump ally Loomer meets Zelensky in Ukraine after dramatic U-turn on war

Laura Loomer, an ardent ally of US President Donald Trump with 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 minimising Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and amplifying Russian propaganda to her nearly 2 million followers. This week she had a change of heart.

“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 Thursday.

It was a stunning reversal for a woman who had spent years criticising US support for Ukraine’s defence, declaring it “a country full of Nazi apologists” – a claim used by Russia to justify its years-long invasion – and “led by a Jihadi apologist”.

The scepticism 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 J.D. 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.