Rep. Adam Schiff was among the U.S. lawmakers who met with Ukraine's president

Rep. Adam Schiff was among the U.S. lawmakers who met with Ukraine's president

Transcript¹

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a congressional delegation² to meet with the leaders of Ukraine and Poland. NPR's Rachel Martin talks to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff about the trip.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

What does Ukraine still need from the United States? A congressional delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went to find out. They were in Poland and Ukraine, where they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff of California was part of the delegation, and he joins us this morning. Thanks so much for being with us.

ADAM SCHIFF: Great to be with you.

MARTIN: You have heard President Zelenskyy address Congress virtually before, but what was it like to meet him face to face?

SCHIFF: It was really inspiring, I think, to sit down with him, to understand that there was a war going on all around us, and yet to see his calm, the courage that he's displaying, and I think it has inspired not just his fellow countrymen, the Ukrainian people, but also people around the world. He's really been extraordinary. And it's all the more extraordinary when you consider that up until his election, he was essentially³ a comic star on a sitcom⁴.

MARTIN: I mean, it obviously carries a lot of symbolic⁵ weight to have the speaker of the House visit him in Kyiv, the highest-ranking U.S. official to do so, but it's also an opportunity to make an ask, right? I mean, the U.S. has obviously provided military assistance and training and weaponry to Ukraine. What did President Zelenskyy, though, use this chance to ask for?

SCHIFF: It was a pretty wide-ranging conversation. So we talked about weapons. We talked about food. We talked about the need for economic support. On the battlefield, the nature of the battle has changed, as Russians pull their forces back from the capital and have concentrated on the east of the country. It's less a situation where Ukrainian forces can ambush⁶ Russian tanks and more a fight at a distance, and that requires a different set of weapons, a different set of skills, a different kind of intelligence. And so we discussed what they need, how we can provide it to them. President Biden, of course, announced that large aid package. So this conversation was really helpful in giving content to what ought to be in that package.

MARTIN: So let's talk about that. The package President Biden has asked for - he's asked for $33 billion from Congress in new aid for Ukraine. Democrats⁸ have tied this funding to a COVID relief bill. Republicans don't like that. Should Ukraine aid and COVID aid be separated?

SCHIFF: I don't know that there's been any decision to tie what goes in this bill. I think certainly we feel there are a couple of emergencies that need to be addressed. We need to help Ukraine, and in particular, one of the things we discussed with President Zelenskyy is the Russians are essentially blockading Odesa, which is not only impairing⁹ Ukraine's ability to protect itself but also impairing Ukraine's ability to export food for the rest of the world. It's the breadbasket of Europe. So it could cause starvation in Africa and elsewhere. But we also discussed what we can do on a wide range of issues to help. And that's an imperative¹⁰, but it's also imperative that we deal with COVID. We see rising cases around the country again. We need to protect the health and welfare of our own people, even as we protect the democracy around the world. And whether those ride together or they ride separately, the urgency is to get it done.

MARTIN: What's the outer bound of congressional support for this war?

SCHIFF: You know, Putin succeeded in doing what no one else has done in the last several years, which is bringing Democrats and Republicans together to defend democracy. I think both parties recognize - with a, you know, few notable outliers in the GOP. But for the most part, we recognize this is a fight between freedom and oppression, and if the Russians are successful in simply overrunning their neighbor and remaking the boundaries of Europe, they won't necessarily stop with Ukraine. So that's a wide-held view in Congress. And we'll provide Ukraine with what they need until they're successful.

MARTIN: Congressman¹¹ Adam Schiff, Democrat⁷ of California. He traveled with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to visit President Zelenskyy in Kyiv Ukraine. Congressman, thank you for your time, as always. We appreciate it.

SCHIFF: You bet. 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 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

3 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

4 sitcom   

n.情景喜剧，（广播、电视的）系列幽默剧

参考例句：

• This sitcom is produced in cooperation with Hong Kong TV.这部连续剧是同香港电视台联合制作的。
• I heard that a new sitcom is coming out next season.我听说下一季会推出一个新的情境喜剧。

5 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

6 ambush   

n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击

参考例句：

• Our soldiers lay in ambush in the jungle for the enemy.我方战士埋伏在丛林中等待敌人。
• Four men led by a sergeant lay in ambush at the crossroads.由一名中士率领的四名士兵埋伏在十字路口。

7 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

8 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 impairing   

v.损害，削弱( impair的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Carbon monoxide is definitely capable of impairing cardiovascular function. 一氧化碳确实能损害心血管机能。 来自辞典例句
• Could it be effected without impairing his reputation as well as his fortune? 他能否不损害他的声誉和财富而办到这一点呢？ 来自辞典例句

10 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。

11 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。