Ukrainian President Zelensky meets with Trump ally Laura Loomer after her reversal on war with Russia

Open this photo in gallery:Right-wing activist Laura Loomer in New York in April, 2024.Ted Shaffrey/The Associated PressLaura Loomer, an ardent ally of U.S. 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 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 during her visit to the country. “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 defence, declaring it “a country full of Nazi apologists” – a claim used by Russia to justify its yearslong invasion – and “led by a Jihadi apologist.”Trump administration poised to help end Ukraine’s ‘senseless war’ but no quick deal, Rubio saysThe 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 U.S. military aid to the country, and he clashed with Zelensky in a heated Oval Office meeting. It was unclear what had prompted Loomer’s trip or how she had arranged the meeting with Zelensky, which she plugged as an interview for her show. She posted a photo of the two that she said had been taken at Mariinsky Palace.“No questions were off limits and I didn’t pull any punches,” she said.She did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The meeting was confirmed earlier by Dmytro Lytvyn, a spokesperson for the 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 is really important that @LauraLoomer is in Ukraine and sees things with her own eyes as they are,” Zelensky’s office had written Tuesday.“It takes courage to come to Ukraine and not be deterred by Russian propaganda or air raid sirens. Thank you, Laura,” the office added Thursday.In addition to the meeting with Zelensky, Loomer also visited the Dormition Cathedral of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, one of the country’s most significant religious landmarks, which came under Russian attack last month.The attack on the monastic complex of golden domes in the heart of Kyiv, which is also known as the Monastery of the Caves, sparked a fire that caused significant interior and exterior damage, according to UNESCO. Zelensky had called it Moscow’s “biggest crime yet against Christian culture.”Russia denied responsibility for the attack, claiming, without offering evidence, that the complex was hit by one of Ukraine’s U.S.-made Patriot air defence missiles – saying that it might have veered off course due to its age.In a video recorded from inside the church, Loomer accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of hypocrisy by portraying Russia as pro-Christian.“I just don’t think that you should be allowed to say that you’re protecting Christianity if you’re trying to drone strike Jesus Christ,” she said.Sergiy Kyslytsya and Tetyana Berezhna, two top Ukrainian officials, were among those who met with Loomer and joined her for the visit.The meeting comes amid continued hostilities between Russia and Ukraine that have overshadowed by the war with Iran.Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday at an annual gathering of foreign ministers in Manila that the administration is poised to help end the “senseless war” in Ukraine but acknowledged there was no quick path to a deal.The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the trip.