Laura Loomer, a right-wing American podcaster with close ties to President Donald Trump, travelled to Kyiv this week and publicly repudiated her earlier pro-Kremlin positions, telling her two million social-media followers she had been “bamboozled by Russian propaganda.” The visit, which included a formal interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, marked a sharp reversal for a figure who had previously labelled Ukraine “corrupt” and “controlled by Nazis.” Analysts in Washington note that Loomer’s about-face comes as the Trump administration signals a willingness to seek ceasefire terms more favourable to Kyiv, and that her personal access to the president makes her change of tone a notable indicator of shifting currents on the American right.

Ukrainian officials seized on the encounter as an opportunity to convey messages directly to Trump’s inner circle. Zelensky used the interview to declare that US–Ukraine relations had been “really improved” after a brief conversation with Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral in April 2025, describing it as a “historic moment.” He also dismissed as baseless a rumour—amplified in Russian state media and by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson—that he had used cocaine with French President Emmanuel Macron. The interview touched on Jewish identity, with Loomer telling Zelensky “I’m Jewish, you’re Jewish,” and the president highlighting his government’s criminalisation of antisemitism, a theme the Ukrainian leadership calculates may resonate with pro-Israel elements of the American right.

In Moscow, Loomer’s visit and Zelensky’s denials were met with sarcasm and ad hominem attacks. Russian Foreign Ministry special envoy Rodion Miroshnik mocked Zelensky’s statement with the quip: “If it’s cocaine, then definitely not together!” Pro-Kremlin outlets such as Lenta.ru devoted extensive coverage to the drugs rumour, citing former Ukrainian press secretary Yuliya Mendel’s claims of widespread cocaine use in the president’s circle, which Zelensky’s current adviser has dismissed as hearsay. A former Ukrainian lawmaker, Artem Dmytruk, now based in Russia, commented that the interview confirmed nations are run by “ordinary drug dealers and junkies.” The Russian narrative, Western disinformation experts say, seeks to paint Zelensky as morally unfit, part of a broader information campaign to erode domestic and international confidence in his leadership.

Loomer’s trip also exposes the increasingly open rift on the American right between pro-Israel hawks and isolationist figures such as Tucker Carlson, with whom she has feuded. She has positioned herself as a staunch supporter of Israel and the US-led campaign against Iran, contrasting with Carlson’s criticism of military aid to both Ukraine and Israel. Her earlier work for the Russian state outlet RT and past statements about Ukraine being a “Nazi” state had aligned her with the isolationist flank; her reversal, observers in Europe note, parallels the Trump administration’s own hardening rhetoric toward Moscow after months of stalled ceasefire efforts. Zelensky announced his intention to travel to Washington next week for the funeral of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and signalled he expects to meet Trump again, a visit that will test whether the warmer tone can translate into tangible policy shifts.