In the lush garden of the Ukrainian presidential residence in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sits at a table. Across from him sits Laura Loomer, an American influencer, far-right figure - and former Ukraine critic.
"I admit, I have said terrible things about Ukraine and about you. I have mocked you," Loomer tells Zelenskyy in the nearly 45-minute video interviewing the president.
Fooled by propaganda
The visit to Kyiv, which according to the presidential office took place at Loomer's initiative, provoked a strong reaction. Loomer, who has previously had a clear anti-Ukrainian stance, has reversed course.
In an interview with The Kyiv Independent during the visit to Ukraine, Loomer says that she was deceived by Russian propaganda, including the claim that Ukraine was ruled by Nazis.
"I bought this from a very nice Orthodox Ukrainian woman around the corner," says Loomer, who is Jewish, showing off the Star of David she has around her neck.
"It's my proof that the country is not ruled by Nazis," she continues, laughing.
Possible turn
When Trump-loyal US Senator Lindsey Graham died earlier in July, Ukraine lost one of its strongest advocates in Washington. Loomer's change of heart comes at a very opportune time for Ukraine, as she reaches an audience of millions on her social platforms.
Laura Loomer is a controversial figure. She continues to claim that the 2020 presidential election, when Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden, was rigged and that there was voter fraud. She has also raised conspiracy theories about the September 11 attacks and called herself a “proud Islamophobe.”
More who have swung
Tim Pool, also an American far-right figure, called Ukraine an “enemy of this country” as recently as two years ago and demanded that the US withdraw its military aid and support to the war-torn country. Last week, in a post on X, he instead urged US President Donald Trump to side with Ukraine in the war against Russia.
Even the president himself seems to have changed his view of Ukraine somewhat, after the country managed to resist Russian attacks while simultaneously striking targets deep inside Russia. During the NATO summit in Turkey earlier this summer, Trump announced that Ukraine would receive a license to manufacture the Patriot air defense missile system. However, the president seemed to backtrack on that promise at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, where he said that the issue was being discussed but that it was "difficult to give away that type of technology."
In a post on Truth Social, the president calls Loomer's interview with Zelenskyy "very good!!!!!"
