Laura Loomer Reverses Stance on Ukraine, Meets Zelensky; Trump-Zelensky Meeting Set

Laura Loomer, a prominent far-right Trump ally, reversed years of anti-Ukraine rhetoric and met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on July 24, admitting she was "bamboozled by Russian propaganda." Trump praised the interview on Truth Social as "Very good!!!" Source: CNN, Guardian and a White House official confirmed that Zelensky will meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday, July 28 Source: CNA, Euronews.

The reversal

Loomer, who once encouraged Russia to seize all of Ukraine and accused Zelensky of faking his Jewish faith, publicly apologized during a 45-minute interview recorded in Kyiv Source: CNN. She experienced an air raid and wrote on X: "I often said I don't care. Looking back, that wasn't very nice of me to say" Source: AP. During her visit, she also toured the Dormition Cathedral damaged by a Russian strike and accused Putin of hypocrisy Source: AP.

The meeting and fallout

The White House was not informed of Loomer's trip Source: CNN. Zelensky's office learned of it through social media but welcomed her, stating: "It is really important that [Loomer] is in Ukraine and sees things with her own eyes" Source: AP. Loomer claimed Zelensky committed to signing a peace deal at the White House or Trump's Mar-a-Lago Source: CNN.

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