The Russia-Ukraine war is the focus of NATO foreign ministers' meeting

The Russia-Ukraine war is the focus of NATO foreign ministers' meeting

Transcript¹

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is attending the meeting in Brussels. The U.S. and Europe are imposing² new sanctions on Russia and promising³ to speed up deliveries of weapons to Ukraine.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, arrived in dramatic form at NATO headquarters today.

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DMYTRO KULEBA: My agenda is very simple. It has only three items on it. It's weapons, weapons and weapons.

FADEL: Well, after several hours of talks with NATO foreign ministers and officials from the Group of Seven leading Democracies, Kuleba came out saying...

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KULEBA: I was pleased to hear today a growing understanding about allies, of the fact that Ukraine is fighting not only for itself but also for them.

FADEL: NPR's Michele Kelemen joins us from NATO headquarters to discuss all this. Hi, Michele.

MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE⁴: Hi there, Leila.

FADEL: So did the Ukrainian foreign minister get what he wanted out of these meetings today?

KELEMEN: Well, he was definitely the star guest here at NATO headquarters. I mean, foreign ministers crowded around him, giving him hugs and handshakes. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was a tremendous sense of solidarity⁵ for Ukraine against Russia's aggression⁶. Blinken met separately with Kuleba after the Ukrainian foreign minister had those meetings with NATO and G-7 counterparts. And they're all talking about ways to continue to support Ukraine, to build on sanctions, to put more pressure on Russia. So there were a lot of strong words of encouragement here.

FADEL: And what about those weapons, weapons, weapons?

KELEMEN: Right. I mean, Kuleba says he's cautiously optimistic about that. He said that he came with very specific asks and very specific timelines, and he found that the allies understood the needs that he's talking about - heavy weapons, air defenses, more missiles. The main thing, though, is the timeline. He said he's - you know, that Ukraine needs these in days, not weeks. There's just a lot of concern that as Russian troops leave areas near Kyiv that they're regrouping to try to take more territory in eastern Ukraine. And Kuleba says his goal is to prevent more Buchas. That's the Kyiv suburb where there have been so many reports of Russian atrocities⁷.

FADEL: Right.

KELEMEN: He got really emotional talking about someone he knows who had been repeatedly raped⁸ there. He said he even accused Russian soldiers of raping⁹ children. And he fears the situation could be worse in other parts of Ukraine - so very dramatic testimony¹⁰ from him.

FADEL: The Ukrainians also want to see more sanctions on Russia. Where does that stand?

KELEMEN: Yeah, there were more sanctions announced this week, both here in Brussels and in Washington. But Kuleba is sounding frustrated¹¹ by the pace of that as well. He said it shouldn't take more civilians¹² dying and horrifying¹³ images like what we are seeing in Bucha to put in place tougher measures against Russia. What he wants is an oil and gas embargo¹⁴ on Russia. The Europeans are still heavily dependent on Russian energy, and it's going to take some time to move away from that dependency. But they say they are moving in that direction, and they're determined¹⁵ to make Putin pay a price for invading Ukraine.

FADEL: So we've talked about sanctions and military aid, but what about diplomacy¹⁶?

KELEMEN: Well, the sanctions and military aid are designed to help strengthen Ukraine's hand at the negotiating table with Russia. The U.S. has been pretty skeptical¹⁷ about diplomacy. And they want - the U.S. wants to make sure that however this war ends, there are going to be long-term consequences for Russia's actions. And Kuleba, you know, also talked about how difficult it is to talk with the Russians now, given these atrocities that are going on, but he said, to prevent more Buchas, we're going to have to talk. So that was his message here at NATO headquarters.

FADEL: NPR diplomatic correspondent Michele Kelemen joining us from Brussels. Thank you so much for your reporting.

KELEMEN: 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 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

3 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

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 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

6 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。

7 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

9 raping   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的现在分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• In response, Charles VI sent a punitive expedition to Brittany, raping and killing the populace. 作为报复，查理六世派军讨伐布列塔尼，奸淫杀戮平民。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The conquerors marched on, burning, killing, raping and plundering as they went. 征服者所到之处烧杀奸掠，无所不做。 来自互联网

10 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

11 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

13 horrifying   

a.令人震惊的，使人毛骨悚然的

参考例句：

• He went to great pains to show how horrifying the war was. 他极力指出战争是多么的恐怖。
• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate. 战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。

14 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

15 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

16 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

17 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。