Putin has persuaded most Russians that the Ukraine crisis is NATO's fault

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Putin has persuaded most Russians that the Ukraine crisis is NATO's fault

Transcript¹

The U.S. and NATO are readying troops for possible deployment² to Eastern Europe to deter³ Russia from invading Ukraine. The Kremlin says Western governments and media are creating "hysteria."

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

President Biden held a video call with European leaders on Monday to discuss efforts to deter further Russian aggression⁴ against Ukraine. With some 100,000 Russian troops stationed near Ukraine's border, NATO says it's putting forces on standby and reinforcing countries on its Eastern European flank. In addition to that, the White House has put 8,500 American troops on heightened alert for deployment to the region. For Russia's reaction to all this, we're joined by NPR's Charles Maynes in Moscow.

Charles, what's the Kremlin saying so far about these latest moves by NATO?

CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE⁵: Well, we heard from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov this morning, saying Russia was watching these latest NATO deployments with great concern. He also accused the West of provoking hysteria about a Russian invasion and cited the deployment of NATO by NATO as evidence.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DMITRY PESKOV: (Speaking Russian).

MAYNES: So here Peskov is saying that it's NATO's actions that are escalating⁶ tensions, and he argues that none of this crisis is of Russia's making but rather due to these movements by the U.S. and the alliance. Meanwhile, Russia's Defense⁷ Ministry⁸ has also announced its own additional military maneuvers⁹ in response.

MARTINEZ: The U.S., I know, has been warning of Russian false flag operations, creating some sort of pretext¹⁰ to invade. What's Russia's take on that?

MAYNES: Well, Russia's basically been saying the same about Ukraine. It said the recent Western arms shipments are emboldening¹¹ Kyiv to seek a military solution to the war in east Ukraine, in the Donbas, where Ukraine is embroiled¹² in this simmering war with Russian-backed separatists. Now, the head of one of the breakaway Ukrainian territories is insisting Kyiv is set to launch a ground assault. It's important to point out, however, that the government in Kyiv is saying the exact opposite. They say that while they've buffered¹³ their defenses, they're not going to attack or be provoked into conflict.

MARTINEZ: So where have things left off diplomatically?

MAYNES: Well, the Kremlin says it's waiting for the U.S. to deliver a formal response to security proposals Russia issued last month. These call for a ban on NATO membership to Ukraine, as well as a rollback of the alliance from former communist countries in Eastern Europe, among others - among other demands. Now, Moscow says its next move hinge on the U.S. response. The State Department has promised to send counterproposals this week, but it's signaling any compromises would be met - have to be met by Russian reciprocity, so it's unlikely we'll see Washington, you know, just bend to Russian ultimatums¹⁴. Whatever comes next, though, I think there is some satisfaction in the Kremlin at having forced Russia into the center of the global conversation once again and largely on its own terms.

MARTINEZ: What about the Russian people? Any sense of their opinions on the possibility of war?

MAYNES: Yeah, you know, there's a new poll that came out that shows Russians divided on whether war will actually break out but overwhelmingly backing the Kremlin view that this is a crisis borne out of NATO's expansion towards Russia's borders. They also see sanctions as inevitable¹⁵, really a condition of having already seen wave upon wave of Western sanctions imposed on Russia in recent years. You know, and in one sense, that frees the Kremlin's hand to do as it sees fit. But keep your eye on the economy. You know, the value of the Russian ruble fell sharply this week. The markets are way down. And certainly that has gotten people's attention.

MARTINEZ: That's NPR's Charles Maynes in Moscow. Charles, thanks a lot.

MAYNES: Thank you.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

3 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

4 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 maneuvers   

n.策略，谋略，花招( maneuver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He suspected at once that she had been spying upon his maneuvers. 他立刻猜想到，她已经侦察到他的行动。 来自辞典例句
• Maneuvers in Guizhou occupied the Reds for four months. 贵州境内的作战占了红军四个月的时间。 来自辞典例句

10 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

11 emboldening   

v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的现在分词 )

参考例句：

12 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 buffered   

[医]缓冲的

参考例句：

• The drug buffered his pain. 药物减轻了他的病痛。
• The reaction should be buffered to a pH of between 6 and 11. 应使反应缓冲到pH值为6～11。

14 ultimatums   

最后通牒( ultimatum的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Environmental groups in Nevada and the Midwest have issued similar ultimatums. 内华达和中西部的环保团体也发布了类似的最后通牒。
• A proactive teacher doesn't deliver ultimatums. [先发制人式]师并不下最后通牒。

15 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。