CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Beyond the Wretched Algorithm: Seeing Ukraine First-Hand

A shopping center in the city of Kremenchuk, Ukraine after a Russian rocket strike on June 27, 2022, which killed 18 civilians. Wikimedia.

Few episodes better illustrate the strange politics of today’s Ukraine debate than Laura Loomer’s journey from one of the loudest voices of the anti-Ukraine movement to a self-described convert after witnessing the war first-hand. She even invited UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson to visit with her after he heavily criticised President Zelenskyy, but Robinson, a recent visitor to Moscow, declined the invitation outright. Her later interview with Zelenskyy further underscored the extent of her very public change of tack.

To be clear, the debate itself has long been shaped by different understandings of the conflict. For many, Ukraine is first and foremost the victim of Russian aggression. Others place greater emphasis on the perils of NATO enlargement, Western over-involvement in post-Soviet politics and the disputed legacy of the 2014 Maidan revolution. Critics of Western policy argue that Maidan amounted to a Western-supported overthrow of a democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovych, while most Western governments and many scholars instead describe it as a popular uprising after Yanukovych abandoned closer ties with the European Union and subsequently bottled it by fleeing the country. Those competing versions continue to shape how many people understand both the origins of the war and the policies that followed.

Loomer’s conversion coincided with an improvement in Ukraine’s overall diplomatic position in Washington. What initially appeared to be an isolated change of heart has instead become part of a wider shift in Western political attitudes towards Kyiv. Later commentary has suggested that Loomer’s conversion matters more as a reflection of a broader realignment within parts of the MAGA coalition as President Trump’s own approach to Ukraine has evolved. That evolution has reflected not only growing frustration with Russia’s refusal to engage seriously with ceasefire proposals, but also Ukraine’s increasingly successful effort to present itself as a strategic partner—particularly through its experience in drone warfare and intelligence cooperation—rather than simply a taker of Western assistance.

President Zelenskyy’s meeting with Andy Burnham, the new UK Prime Minister, at Portsmouth Naval Base reinforced the UK’s commitment to Ukraine. By making Zelenskyy the first foreign leader he hosted after entering Downing Street, Burnham signalled that support for Kyiv would remain a central pillar of UK foreign policy.

Looking back, early 2025 now appears to have marked the low point in relations between Kyiv and the Trump........

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