Laura Loomer reveals why she went to Ukraine to grill Volodymyr Zelenskyy about cocaine and offers advice to Trump on dealing with Putin

By CHARLIE SPIERING, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 23:25, 24 July 2026 | Updated: 23:29, 24 July 2026 Journalist and activist Laura Loomer decided to visit Ukraine for herself this week, after years of criticizing America's involvement in the conflict.  Her trip culminated in a visit to the presidential palace and a nearly hour-long exclusive interview with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 'I really wanted to see it up close and find out, wow, you know, is this a country full of Nazis? Are they laundering our taxpayer dollars to Democrats? You know, is Zelenskyy a cokehead?' she said in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail while she was in Kiev. During her interview, Loomer questioned Zelenskyy whether he had ever used cocaine with French President Emmanuel Macron, citing pictures she had seen online. 'Of course never,' Zelenskyy replied laughing. 'Of course not.' Loomer told Zelenskyy her goal was to 'counter some of the propaganda in real time' by asking blunt questions. 'I wanted to know whether that was Russian propaganda. And I wanted to know if the video was real,' she explained when the Daily Mail asked about the motivation for the question. Loomer said she decided to travel to Ukraine to find out the truth about the war with Russia for herself. She flew to Poland and then took three hours to a train station and then a 14 hour train ride to Kiev. Laura Loomer said she wanted to see the situation of Ukraine herself  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center left, speaks with Laura Loomer in Kiev  She said she grew 'skeptical,' after some of the podcasters and media figures on the right who had criticized Zelenskyy were also pushing out 'pro-Kremlin and anti Semitic' content. 'One thing I started to realize that all these people had in common is that they were all rooting for Russia to win the war,' she said. 'And so I thought to myself, wow, maybe I've been brainwashed and propagandized by Russian propaganda into thinking that Ukraine is the enemy and that Russia is actually in the right.' For years, Loomer has used her social media platform to question American support for Ukraine and President Zelenskyy, accusing them of being 'Nazis.' 'Zelenskyy is a Nazi and Ukrainians have always hated the Jews,' she wrote on a post in 2023, lamenting that the United States had 'given $250 billion to fund Nazism.' She told the Daily Mail that she had changed her mind after seeing Ukraine for herself, but would not delete her old critical posts on social media. 'I want it to be a reminder that people can change,' she said. By the end of the visit, Loomer gave Zelenskyy a hug and wished him well.   Loomer denied claims from critics of her sudden pivot on Ukraine that she was getting paid for the trip. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, sits with Laura Loomer for an interview In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Laura Loomer, left, hugs Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky 'How was I paid? I wasn't paid. I'm not a lobbyist. I didn't get paid to do this by anybody. Not an American, not a Ukrainian, not the Ukrainian government, not the U.S. government,' she said. It's unclear whether she received any kind of funding for the trip, but she told the Daily Mail she paid for her flight to Poland herself.  She revealed private moments with Zelenskyy including a tour of the palace where she questioned why they did not have the lights on in the palace. She was told that the lights only helped the Russians target the palace and their power sources. Loomer said she was surprised by Zelenskyy's demeanor despite leading his country through a war. 'He just has this very kind of mellow vibe. Like, it's like kind of a calm demeanor,' she said. 'I think he has a lot of composure and grace for somebody who has to deal, for somebody who has to be a wartime leader.' Loomer said that despite the military strikes in the region, she felt safe as she traveled in the city. 'I've been traveling around with the Alpha Squadron, they're everywhere ... you walk down the street, and these, like, military guys are everywhere protecting people.' she said. She said when she went to a restaurant a chef prepared an entire room for her meal with American flags and even wrote her a letter thanking America for helping them defend their country. Rescuers work at the site of a Russian missile strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, Emergency employees work at the site of a Russian missile strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, 'You know, people will stop me in the street. Thank you. President Trump. We love President Trump. Thank you for saving us. And thank you for standing with Ukraine.' Loomer said she spoke to President Trump twice since she arrived in Ukraine, and thanked him for sharing a clip of her interview on his social media. She said that Ukraine should not be forced to cede any territory as part of a trade deal, a condition that Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded.  New sanctions on Russia, Loomer suggested, were the solution to ending the war.  'We have sanctions, which will eventually create enough internal pressure in their own country and, you know, eventually the Russian people will have to come to terms that they need to have their own independence from the dictator in charge of their country,' she said.  Her message to Trump, she said, was to urge him to keep helping Ukraine defend itself from Russia and to fight a growing alliance of anti-American interests around the world. 'We can't continue allowing for Russia's aggression to expand and for a multipolar alliance in Russia, China, Iran, and probably other countries, too, like, North Korea would join. I'm sure Qatar and Turkey would join as well,' she said. 'I mean, even if they pretend to be allies to our country. We can't allow for that type of alliance to gain power.'