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Trump ally Loomer admits: ‘I fell for Russian disinformation’

Trump confidante Laura Loomer reversed her stance on Ukraine after visiting Kiev, admitting she was misled by Russian disinformation and now calls Zelenskyy a wartime leader and Ukraine an essential ally.

Eleni Papadaki-Van Der Merwe Staff Writer

JULY 25, 2026 AT 12:56 PM

According to Junge Freiheit, Loomer told the Wall Street Journal that she had made a mistake after years of sharply criticizing Ukraine, questioning American aid, and even calling President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a genuine Nazi.

Following her trip to the Ukrainian capital, Loomer’s rhetoric has shifted dramatically. She now describes Zelenskyy as a wartime leader and Ukraine as an essential ally. Support for the country, she now argues, represents the correct America First position.

High-Level Meetings in Kiev

During her visit, Loomer met with Ukrainian government representatives, religious leaders, and Zelenskyy himself. The most notable encounter was her interview with the Ukrainian president at the Mariinsky Palace, where Zelenskyy discussed his relationship with Donald Trump and their meeting on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral at the Vatican.

The visit was particularly striking given Loomer’s history of promoting Russian narratives. She now claims to have begun re-examining content from Russian propaganda channels, concluding that a foreign influence operation is underway and that Russia is conducting an information war.

Staged Reversal in Kiev

Loomer also made a point of visually staging her conversion. In front of a damaged McDonald’s restaurant in Kiev, she framed her trip as a counterpoint to Tucker Carlson’s 2024 visit to Moscow, where he toured a Russian fast-food outlet and portrayed Russia as modern and resilient against sanctions.

According to her account, Loomer called Trump twice from Ukraine to brief him on her visit. She claims the president asked her to convey his greetings to Zelenskyy. Trump later shared a clip from her interview with the Ukrainian leader on Truth Social, commenting simply: “Very good!!!”

The reversal by such a prominent Trump ally and conservative commentator represents a notable shift in messaging within parts of the American right regarding the Ukraine conflict and Russian influence operations.

With information from Junge Freiheit

Eleni Papadaki-Van Der Merwe

She was born in 1986 in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is the granddaughter of an immigrant from Crete who settled in the Greek community of Johannesburg (one of the largest in Africa). She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Political Science from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg and a master’s degree in Journalism from Rhodes University in Grahamstown. She began her career at English-language media outlets in Johannesburg, covering politics and economics, with a focus on issues related to migration and the diaspora. She moved to Athens in 2015 to “return to her roots,” initially to pursue graduate studies, and has remained there permanently. She is married to an Afrikaner; they have two children and live in the southern suburbs of Athens.

High-Level Meetings in Kiev