Ukrainian President Zelensky meets with Trump ally Laura Loomer after her reversal on war with Russia
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- Laura Loomer met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv on Thursday during a surprise visit that no Ukrainian government institution organized, with Zelensky's office first learning she was in the country through social media.
- Loomer experienced her first air raid during the trip and wrote on X: "I often said I don't care. Looking back, that wasn't very nice of me to say," a reversal from years of minimizing Russia's invasion and calling Ukraine "a country full of Nazi apologists."
- Loomer toured the Dormition Cathedral of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, which Russia struck last month causing significant interior and exterior damage per UNESCO, and recorded a video accusing Putin of hypocrisy over attacking a Christian site.
- Loomer's skepticism of Ukraine aligned with other MAGA-aligned voices including Tucker Carlson, while Vice President JD Vance was among the earliest critics of continued US military aid and previously clashed with Zelensky in a heated Oval Office meeting.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio told foreign ministers in Manila on Thursday that the Trump administration is "poised to help end the senseless war" in Ukraine but acknowledged no quick deal is in sight.
Why it matters: Loomer's on-the-ground conversion is notable because she had built a multi-million-follower platform minimizing Russia's invasion — her reversal could nudge the pro-MAGA segment most resistant to continued Ukraine aid, though Rubio's same-day caveat of "no quick deal" shows the trip has not yet shifted administration war policy.
