KYIV (AP) — Laura Loomer, an ardent ally of President Donald Trump with a reputation for incendiary social media commentary, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 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 two 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. “I often said I don’t care. Looking back, that wasn’t very nice of me to say.”It was a stunning reversal for a woman who had spent years criticizing U.S. 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 high profile conservative influencers, including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.The meeting with Zelenskyy was confirmed by Dmytro Lytvyn, a spokesperson for the president, who said that no Ukrainian government institution had organized the visit. He added that Zelenskyy’s office first learned that Loomer was in Ukraine through social media.“It is really important that @LauraLoomer is in Ukraine and sees things with her own eyes as they are,” Zelenskyy’s office had written Tuesday.
