Trump impeachment: president dismisses John Bolton's Ukraine claims as 'false' – live

Extract from The Guardian

US politics live 

John Bolton

• Bolton claims in book Trump linked Ukraine aid to Biden inquiry
• Impeachment trial resumes with Trump’s defense’s opening arguments
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LIVE Updated 11m ago

Trump impeachment trial continues in the Senate – watch live

Joan E Greve in Washington

@joanegreve

Tue 28 Jan 2020 06.31 AEDT First published on Tue 28 Jan 2020 01.24 AEDT

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11m ago 06:31

Mike Purpura, the deputy White House counsel, is now arguing Trump held up Ukraine’s military assistance in part over concerns about the US providing a disproportionate amount of funding to the ally.
But other countries have actually provided billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine since Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
PolitiFact reported in September:

While the United States has taken the lead on military aid, the Europeans, Japan and Canada have borne the brunt of economic and government restructuring aid to bolster Ukraine.

After 2014, the European Union and its financial assistance agencies put together $15 billion mainly in loans but also in direct grants to Ukraine. Spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told PolitiFact in statement that described it as ‘the largest support package in the history of the European Union.’

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/jan/27/donald-trump-impeachment-trial-john-bolton-book-news-today-senate-democrats