Trump Ally Laura Loomer Recasts Ukraine Stance After Kyiv Visit

KYIV-Conservative activist Laura Loomer, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, has publicly reversed her long-held criticism of Ukraine after visiting the country, saying she had been misled by Russian propaganda and urging fellow conservatives to examine the war through firsthand evidence rather than online narratives.

Loomer made the remarks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kyiv after returning from a trip to eastern Ukraine near the front lines. The interview was relocated to an underground bomb shelter as the Ukrainian capital came under a ballistic missile attack.

Her shift comes ahead of a planned meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington on Tuesday, with Loomer saying her visit had already helped refocus attention on the war as the US Congress debates additional sanctions aimed at Russia.

Loomer, who has no official role in the Trump administration but remains an influential figure within the president’s political circle, said she had spoken to Trump by telephone after meeting Zelensky and expected to meet him again upon returning to the United States.

For years, Loomer had questioned support for Ukraine and repeated narratives favourable to Moscow. Speaking during an interview with Zelensky for her programme on the Rumble platform, she acknowledged that she had accepted false claims about Ukraine, including allegations that the country was dominated by Nazis.

She said her views had been shaped after being banned from several major US social media platforms, prompting her to rely on Telegram, where she said Russian media content was widely circulated. Loomer also said she had gradually reassessed her position as she observed what she described as increasing Russian amplification of commentary from some conservative media personalities.

According to Loomer, her change of position has prompted supporters within the “Make America Great Again” movement to reconsider their own views on the conflict. She said she had received numerous messages from followers who believed they had been misled about Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials welcomed her visit, viewing it as an opportunity to reach an influential figure close to Trump. In addition to interviewing Zelensky, Loomer met senior government officials and Ukraine’s chief rabbi, while also visiting Kyiv’s Dormition Cathedral at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, which was damaged in a Russian attack last month.

Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna expressed hope that Loomer’s experiences in Ukraine would strengthen ties with the United States by encouraging her to share what she witnessed firsthand.

Trump also appeared to endorse Loomer’s visit, sharing footage of her interview with Zelensky on social media and praising it in a brief post.

Despite her revised position on Ukraine, Loomer has continued to make controversial public statements on other issues. She has a history of promoting conspiracy theories, including false claims surrounding the September 11 attacks and the 2020 US presidential election, which she continues to dispute despite the absence of evidence supporting allegations of widespread fraud.

Loomer denied suggestions that Ukraine had financed her trip, saying she travelled independently and at her own expense. She argued that her experience inside a bomb shelter during an air raid underscored the reality of the conflict and reinforced her belief that Russian disinformation campaigns posed a serious challenge to public understanding.

She also called on the Trump administration to take Russian propaganda and foreign influence operations more seriously, warning that information warfare could prove as damaging as conventional military conflict.