Trump ally Laura Loomer admits spreading Russian propaganda about Ukraine after visiting Kyiv

Laura Loomer, a prominent far-right figure with close ties to Donald Trump, has reversed her longstanding support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, admitting this week that she had been influenced by Kremlin propaganda. The American activist, who for years defended Russia’s military operation and amplified Moscow’s false narrative about Nazi elements in Ukraine, travelled to Kyiv last week where she met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and acknowledged spreading disinformation about the conflict.

During an extensive interview with Zelenskyy, Loomer confessed to having promoted falsehoods about the war, marking a significant departure from her previous public statements. The visit included meetings with Ukraine’s chief rabbi and a trip to Bucha, the suburb of Kyiv where Russian forces committed documented war crimes during their occupation. Loomer also visited a destroyed McDonald’s restaurant, which she described as a “symbol of resistance.”

Loomer’s change of position represents one of the more notable recent reversals by a Trump-aligned commentator on the Ukraine conflict. Throughout the invasion, she had justified Russian military action and repeated the Kremlin’s unfounded claims about Ukrainian fascism. Her admission that she had been caught in a web of Russian propaganda comes as international scrutiny of disinformation campaigns regarding the war remains intense. The visit to Kyiv and direct engagement with Ukrainian leadership appears to have prompted a reassessment of her previous stance on the conflict.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.