Johnson demands Ukraine's Zelenskyy fire ambassador amid Trump rift
CBSN
Washington — House Speaker Mike Johnson called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to fire his ambassador to the U.S. amid the foreign leader's escalating tension with former President Donald Trump and his allies.
In a letter to Zelenskyy on Wednesday, Johnson demanded the immediate firing of Oksana Markarova, accusing her of interfering in the presidential election by organizing the Ukrainian president's recent visit to an ammunition factory in Pennsylvania.
"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," the Louisiana Republican wrote.
Warsaw, Poland — European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday pledged billions of euros in aid for Central European countries that suffered enormous damage to infrastructure and housing during the massive flooding that has so far claimed 24 lives in the region. Von der Leyen paid a quick visit to a flood-damaged area in southeast Poland and met with heads of the governments of the affected countries — Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
TEL AVIV, Israel — The recent attacks targeting Hezbollah members with exploding pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon may seem to be the stuff of spy novels, but the impact and implications of the complex operations blamed on Israel are very real. Lebanese officials said at least 30 people were killed and some 3,000 wounded by the explosions, and the chief of Hezbollah acknowledged Thursday that the Iran-backed militant group had taken a serious blow.
Washington — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to be among just a small handful of global political leaders to meet with both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump next week as dignitaries travel to the United States for a series of global-themed events amid the ongoing American presidential election.