When American right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson interviewed Russian ruler Vladimir Putin on Feb. 8, 2024, Putin answered the question of why he had invaded Ukraine with a lengthy and heavily disputed tour of Eastern European history. American commentator Ben Shapiro responded by reposting a joke from The War Zone editor-in-chief Tyler Rogoway, comparing Putin’s answer to Dr. Evil’s famous autobiographical monologue in Austin Powers – including the father who was a “relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. At the time, it looked like a sarcastic take on Putin’s habit of presenting disputed historical claims as settled fact. In retrospect, it also captured a growing split on the American right over Russia’s war on Ukraine. Two and a half years later, Carlson and other Russia-adjacent figures, including Candace Owens, face an emerging pro-Ukraine conservative camp. It includes Shapiro, who interviewed Zelensky in Kyiv, and – more recently and unexpectedly – MAGA activist Laura Loomer. Kyiv Post spoke to people directly involved in Ukraine’s outreach to conservative America. Overcoming the resistance “Two years ago, I asked myself a hard question: If I, who was once mentored by the founder of Fox News, had never been to Ukraine, what would I believe about Ukraine’s resistance?” American journalist Joe Lindsley told Kyiv Post. “The answer wasn’t pretty. But it enabled me to understand why many Americans doubted the nobility of Ukraine’s resistance.”