Biden was slow to move on Russia-Ukraine crisis, Rep. Malliotakis says

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Biden was slow to move on Russia-Ukraine crisis, Rep. Malliotakis says

Transcript¹

NPR's Steve Inskeep asks Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York if the Biden administration is doing enough to prevent or limit Russian aggression² against Ukraine.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

All right. This week, Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, has spoken in support of President Biden's course.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MITCH MCCONNELL: It appears to me the administration is moving in the right direction.

INSKEEP: Other Republicans have said, including on our air, that the president has moved much too slowly. We have called Republican Representative Nicole Malliotakis of New York. She is a member of the House Foreign Relations Committee. Welcome to the program.

NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS: Thank you. Great to be with you.

INSKEEP: This written response to Russia from the United States is not public, but NPR at least has reported that it was shared with members of Congress. Have you seen it, and what did you think of it?

MALLIOTAKIS: I have not seen this report. I do believe that right now we're facing two courses of - I guess there's two schools of thoughts right now. One is that Putin is trying to put together the pieces of the Soviet³ Union a hundred years later. And the other school of thought is that he's just looking to test, to see how far can he go until the EU or the United States respond because he's trying to have some demands met, including not allowing Ukraine into NATO.

INSKEEP: Right.

MALLIOTAKIS: That, I think, is one of his big priorities. So...

INSKEEP: Is the...

MALLIOTAKIS: ...You know - hmm?

INSKEEP: I - just 'cause time is short. Is the president, as McConnell said, moving in the right direction now?

MALLIOTAKIS: You know, I think he is moving a little better. I do believe that it's been slow to date. I think some of the actions that he is taking now should have been taken previously⁴. Certainly, there's not an appetite to put boots on the ground in Ukraine. But I do believe if he had issued more sanctions or worked with our EU partners quicker, this may have been preventable. What we want to see is him exhibit strength. I think, you know, what happened in Afghanistan earlier this year, other actions by this administration, have given sort of a green light for Putin to kind of further test the waters, particularly rubber-stamping the Nord Stream 2 pipeline⁵. These are the things that concern many of the members on both sides of the aisle⁶ of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

INSKEEP: You've raised a couple of things that warrant following up on. One, you mentioned the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. We should explain for people, this is a gas pipeline from Russia to Europe. Russia could use it to sell gas to Europe. Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, told NPR last evening that if Russia invades Ukraine, Nord Stream 2 quote, "will not move forward." Can the United States stop that? And if so, how can the United States stop that?

MALLIOTAKIS: You know, at this point, I'm not sure that they can completely stop it. But there were sanctions at the beginning of Biden's presidency⁷ that he chose to lift, which really caught the eye of many of the members of Congress. Here, President Biden stopped the Keystone pipeline. He's also saying they're withdrawing support from the Eastern Mediterranean⁸ pipeline, which would go from Israel to Greece, Cyprus and then into Europe. So it seems that when it comes to our energy independence or our allies' energy independence, he's taking a pause. But when it comes to our adversaries⁹ like Russia, he is rubber-stamping that. And that is an issue because I believe that Putin can and will use this energy as leverage¹⁰. Forty percent of European gas comes from Russia, so he has leverage there when negotiating in this whole discussion that's taking place.

INSKEEP: One other thing in the moment we have - you mentioned things the United States has done that may make the U.S. look weak on the world stage, might have encouraged Putin. You mentioned the U.S. withdrawal¹¹ from Afghanistan. An analyst¹² on our program elsewhere today named another thing. His name is Dominique Moisi. He is in Europe. He was spoken to our colleague, Eleanor - he was speaking to our colleague, Eleanor Beardsley, and he said this of Vladimir Putin.

DOMINIQUE MOISI: He sees the situation in America, what happened on January 6, march to the Capitol, has convinced him that democracy is dying in America.

INSKEEP: He was watching, according to the analyst, the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Representative, you voted to object to the election on January 6. There was no evidence to support that at all. Were you conscious then that U.S. adversaries might be watching?

MALLIOTAKIS: You know, the - democracy has - the Constitution allows for this particular debate of the Electoral College to take place. And that is exactly what took place among the members of Congress. What occurred on that day from people outside of the Capitol was very disturbing. And I've highly condemned¹³ it, and I've also asked for the prosecution¹⁴ of those who broke our laws. And it should not at all influence the debate that was occurring inside the chambers¹⁵. So there were two states that if they were seen to not abide¹⁶ by the Constitution and were overturned, it wouldn't have had an impact in the overall.

INSKEEP: You have 10 seconds.

MALLIOTAKIS: I think really what's at issue here is President Biden, you know, reentering...

INSKEEP: About 10 seconds.

MALLIOTAKIS: ...The Paris Accord without requiring China and India to level the playing field, reentering the UN Human Rights Council, which Russia is a member of, and one of the most...

INSKEEP: Representative, I've got to stop you there, but thanks for the answer. Thanks for the time. I appreciate it. I know you also have to run. Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis of New York. 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 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。

3 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

6 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

7 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

8 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

9 adversaries   

n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• That would cause potential adversaries to recoil from a challenge. 这会迫使潜在的敌人在挑战面前退缩。 来自辞典例句
• Every adversaries are more comfortable with a predictable, coherent America. 就连敌人也会因有可以预料的，始终一致的美国而感到舒服得多。 来自辞典例句

10 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

11 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

12 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

13 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

14 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

15 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

16 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。