### House Speaker Johnson Demands Ukraine's Ambassador Be Dismissed Amid Trump-Zelenskyy Feud

In a dramatic turn of events, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has called for the dismissal of Ukraine’s ambassador to Washington, escalating the ongoing tensions between former President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The move comes as Republicans accuse Ukraine of politically interfering in the upcoming U.S. elections.

Johnson’s public letter to Zelenskyy was in response to a recent visit by the Ukrainian leader to a munitions factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania. During his visit, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to workers for producing much-needed shells for Ukraine’s forces. Johnson argued that the trip, organized by Ambassador Oksana Markarova, served as a "partisan campaign event” favoring Democrats, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat known for supporting Vice President Kamala Harris.

“The facility was in a politically contested battleground state, was led by a top political surrogate for Kamala Harris, and failed to include a single Republican because—on purpose—no Republicans were invited,” Johnson wrote in his letter addressed to the Ukrainian embassy. He described the event as "election interference," stating, “This shortsighted and intentionally political move has caused Republicans to lose trust in Ambassador Markarova's ability to fairly and effectively serve as a diplomat in this country. She should be removed from her post immediately."

On the same day, Trump criticized Zelenskyy at a campaign event in North Carolina, accusing the Ukrainian president of refusing to negotiate peace with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “The president of Ukraine is in our country. He is making little nasty aspersions toward your favorite president, me,” Trump said. “We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal: Zelenskyy.”

This feud follows a controversial interview Zelenskyy conducted with the New Yorker, where he questioned Trump's plans to end the war with Russia and criticized Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance as "too radical." Vance had proposed that peace in Ukraine might require conceding occupied territories to Russia and establishing a demilitarized zone to prevent further invasions.

In the interview, Zelenskyy dismissed the idea of ending the war at Ukraine’s expense, stating, “His message seems to be that Ukraine must make a sacrifice. This brings us back to the question of the cost and who shoulders it. The idea that the world should end this war at Ukraine's expense is unacceptable. But I do not consider this concept of his a plan, in any formal sense."

Following his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Zelenskyy is expected to present his "victory plan" to U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House. In his letter, Johnson also highlighted Ukrainian officials' criticisms of Trump and Vance to the media, urging foreign nations to avoid interfering in American domestic politics.

Other top Republicans, including Senator Lindsey Graham, have also expressed concerns over Zelenskyy's recent remarks. “I don't mind him going to a munitions plant thanking people for helping Ukraine. But I think his comments about JD Vance and President Trump were out of bounds,” Graham told Punchbowl News. “With conservatives, it’s going to hurt Ukraine,” he added.