Laura Loomer says she called Trump from Ukraine, plans to brief president on visit

U.S. conservative influencer Laura Loomer says she spoke with President Donald Trump from Ukraine after interviewing President Volodymyr Zelensky, offering a rare glimpse into how one of Trump's closest informal advisers is reassessing her views on Kyiv.

In an interview with the Kyiv Independent, Loomer said she called Trump after meeting Zelensky and plans to brief him again upon returning to Washington, sharing what she witnessed firsthand during Russia's full-scale invasion.

"I spoke to the president (Trump) two days ago after I interviewed President Zelensky," Loomer said. "He told me that he liked President Zelensky very much. But he also told me that he likes Vladimir Putin. He gets along with both."

Widely regarded as one of Trump's closest outside advisers, Loomer said her visit to Ukraine prompted her to rethink years of rhetoric that she now believes echoed Russian propaganda.

The full interview will air on July 29 on the Kyiv Independent's YouTube channel.

A dramatic change of perspective

Loomer said she traveled to Ukraine intending to test many of the claims she had long believed about the country. For years, she was among the conservative movement's most outspoken critics of Ukraine.

She wrote opinion pieces for the Russian state-controlled outlet RT, promoted the conspiracy theory that the CIA was attempting to orchestrate a coup against Russian President Vladimir Putin, compared Ukraine to Nazis, and frequently criticized Republican politicians she considered too supportive of Kyiv.

After witnessing the consequences of Russia's invasion firsthand, however, Loomer said she now regrets many of those statements.

She has publicly clashed with conservative commentators, including Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, over what she describes as Kremlin-linked narratives about the war.

Zelensky took a chance

Loomer's interview with Zelensky was arranged only at the last minute.

According to people familiar with the discussions, the Ukrainian president was initially reluctant to meet the conservative influencer because of her history of mocking him and amplifying anti-Ukraine narratives.

Ultimately, Zelensky agreed, concluding that engaging directly with Loomer could help Ukraine reach conservative audiences in the United States that have become increasingly skeptical of continued support for Kyiv, according to people familiar with the decision.

During the interview, Loomer challenged Zelensky with several Russian narratives she had previously accepted. She said the conversation reinforced the shift in her views.

Loomer pressed Zelensky on several Russian narratives that have circulated in conservative media, including asking whether the president uses cocaine together with other foreign leaders and who he considers the greatest American president.

Zelensky replied that he does not use cocaine and named Abraham Lincoln despite Loomer's attempts to lead the president into saying "Trump."

Taking Ukraine's message to Trump

The influencer said her conversations with Trump about Ukraine are likely to continue after she returns to the United States.

"I do have plans to go and have a meeting with the president when I get back," she said.

"It was scheduled prior to my trip to Ukraine. I do plan on sharing my experience with the president if he asks… I'm not afraid to share my opinions."

For Ukraine, the meeting represents an unusual gamble.

Rather than dismissing one of Trump's most influential — and controversial — allies because of her past rhetoric, Kyiv chose to engage her directly in the hope that firsthand exposure to Russia's war would prove more persuasive than political argument.