Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine meet face to face for the first time in weeks

Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine meet face to face for the first time in weeks

　　Transcript¹

　　Russia and Ukraine say they're starting up peace talks — after many failed tries in various locales — in Istanbul. What do both sides want from the talks, and why is Turkey playing mediator²?

　　STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

　　The latest peace talks between Ukraine and Russia are over for today. And we have news today that Russia is changing its public stance on the war. These talks are taking place in Istanbul, Turkey. And there, a Russian deputy defense³ minister said that Russian forces will cut back their military operations around the capital, Kyiv. Russia, as you may recall, has stalled in its efforts to take Kyiv anyway.

　　NPR's Peter Kenyon is covering the talks in Istanbul. Hey there, Peter.

　　PETER KENYON, BYLINE⁴: Hi, Steve.

　　INSKEEP: How far did these talks really get?

　　KENYON: Well, some interesting proposals from all sides. It started with the Turkish president wishing them success, saying, let's end this tragedy. It's in no one's interest. And then the negotiations⁶ began. Ukraine came forward with some significant proposals, and so did Russia. And there's going to have to be some studying and responding to do now.

　　INSKEEP: What is this Russian proposal to back away from Kyiv, and what exactly does it mean?

　　KENYON: Well, when the negotiations finished, both sides came out and did separate news conferences. And in the Russian appearance, the negotiators said they would de-escalate around Kyiv, the capital, and also Chernihiv, and they would be doing that to focus attention on the talks, to build mutual⁷ trust and create the right conditions for a peace agreement. That's seen as a significant boost for the talks and how important the Russians at least seem to be taking them.

　　INSKEEP: Although I guess we should note that Russia already had backed away from Kyiv and said in a completely different context that they were planning to focus their military forces in the East, in a different part of the country. Nevertheless, they make this statement in the context of these peace talks. So what is it that Ukrainian leaders have been putting on the table?

　　KENYON: Well, from the Ukrainian side, they're saying basically, OK, Russia wants security guarantees. We can work on that. But so do we. We want our own guarantees. We want eight guarantor nations to ensure that any peace agreement is implemented⁸ and held to. And at the same time, President Zelenskyy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was saying in an address to the Dutch parliament that Russia's been committing war crimes in Mariupol. Ninety percent of the buildings were destroyed. The foreign minister says there's no negotiation⁵ on lands or sovereignty. He wants humanitarian⁹ corridors for families trying to escape. And of course, they want a full cease-fire and the complete withdrawal¹⁰ of Russian troops.

　　INSKEEP: The no negotiation on land or sovereignty becomes awkward because Russian troops are not only on areas that they have invaded in the last few weeks. They possess large parts of Ukraine that Russia took in 2014.

　　KENYON: Absolutely. They have controlled that for eight years now, and now they have quite a bit more territory. It's annexed¹¹ Crimea, actually - hasn't been recognized widely, and there's a lot of pro-Russian sentiment in that part of eastern Ukraine, too. So it has military control over considerably¹² more territory now, as you say, not the capital. And Kyiv, not surprisingly, is not willing to reward this invasion with territorial¹³ concessions¹⁴.

　　INSKEEP: Peter, tell me a little bit about the setting for all of this, Turkey, and the role that Turkey would like to be playing as a NATO ally that's also a near neighbor of Russia.

　　KENYON: Turkey really wants to be seen as a peacemaker here. It wants to keep good relations with both Ukraine and Russia. I mean, it has been selling armed drones to Ukraine, but President Erdogan wants to keep ties with Putin. And economics plays a big role here because a large number of Russian visitors come to Turkey every summer, and they help keep the tourism sector¹⁵ afloat. So the economic pain, were this to go south, could be bad for Turkey.

　　INSKEEP: NPR's Peter Kenyon in Istanbul, thanks so much.

　　KENYON: 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 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

3 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。

4 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。

5 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

6 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

7 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

8 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

9 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

10 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。

11 annexed   

[法] 附加的，附属的

参考例句：

• Germany annexed Austria in 1938. 1938年德国吞并了奥地利。
• The outlying villages were formally annexed by the town last year. 那些偏远的村庄于去年正式被并入该镇。

12 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

13 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

14 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

15 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。