美国国家公共电台 NPR--Finnish government leaders say their country must join NATO without delay

Finnish government leaders say their country must join NATO without delay

Transcript¹

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Finland is on the brink² of joining NATO. Finns have their own memories of Russian aggression³.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Today, the president and prime minister of Finland released a statement. It says their country must apply for NATO membership without delay. That makes it all but certain that Finland will join the world's largest military alliance. And nearby Sweden is expected to follow. Those nations have been oriented toward NATO for generations, but did not want to formally join until Russia invaded Ukraine. History is a factor here, as we learn from NPR's Frank Langfitt.

FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE⁴: The year was 1939.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: War has gripped Europe, a war of oppression. Tiny Finland is the latest victim of this unprovoked and ruthless aggression.

LANGFITT: The aggressor - the Soviet⁵ Union. The Soviets⁶ wanted Finland to trade some of its territory to provide a defensive⁷ buffer⁸ for Leningrad, now called Saint Petersburg.

Markku Kangaspuro is a historian at the University of Helsinki. He says the Finns didn't like that idea.

MARKKU KANGASPURO: They thought that it's impossible to make that kind of compromises. So after that, very simple, the Soviet Union decided⁹ to solve this problem. They decided to solve it in war.

LANGFITT: The Soviets invaded at the end of November in what became known as the Winter War.

Joonas Kontta's great-grandfather, Stefan, owned land in the territory that Russia wanted.

JOONAS KONTTA: He was injured with a grenade, and he was also captured once. But he break through from the captivity¹⁰.

LANGFITT: But in the end, the Soviets forced Finland to cede¹¹ territory, including Stefan's 200 acres of forest. Joonas Kontta's 32 and a lawmaker in the Finnish Parliament. He says the Winter War had always seemed a bit remote.

KONTTA: We always honor the veterans and the people who sacrificed so much for our independence. But now, when Russia attacked Ukraine, we have these memories opened once more. And we don't want to be alone ever again.

LANGFITT: When you look at the images from Ukraine, do you relate to them in any way, given the history of this country?

KONTTA: I do relate to them. There are a lot of civilians¹², cities, towns, villages that are being demolished¹³ by Russia. It's just cruelty after cruelty.

LANGFITT: Like the vast majority of Finns, Kontta didn't think Finland needed NATO's protection.

KONTTA: I believe that we can keep up the European security structure as it was formulated¹⁴ after and during the Cold War and after the Soviet Union collapsed¹⁵ in 1990s. Obviously, I was mistaken.

LANGFITT: Finland shares an 830-mile border with Russia. Many Finns say they now see their giant neighbor as unpredictable. Finnish support for joining NATO has jumped to a record 76%, according to the latest poll.

Markku Kangaspuro, the Russian and Soviet history professor, sees some similarities between the Winter War and the one now raging in Ukraine. He points out that, like the Ukrainians, the Finns gave the Soviets a beating early on.

KANGASPURO: Because we managed to fight and to defend our area. It was not parade march to Helsinki. It took time and it took resources from Soviet Union.

LANGFITT: But in the end, the Soviet forces proved too big and well-armed for the Finns.

KANGASPURO: Our leadership, military leadership - they understood to make peace enough early, before Russia destroyed our army and before Russia occupied our country.

LANGFITT: The war ended, like most, in a negotiated settlement. Negotiations¹⁶ between Russia and Ukraine have broken down, and there's no sign they'll begin again anytime soon. Of course, there are big differences between these two wars. The Finns fought the Soviets largely on their own. America and its NATO allies are arming Ukraine. Now Finland is poised¹⁷ to join the world's biggest military alliance to make sure it never has to face Russian troops alone again.

Frank Langfitt, NPR News, Helsinki.

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 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

3 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。

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 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。

6 soviets   

苏维埃（Soviet的复数形式）

参考例句：

• A public challenge could provoke the Soviets to dig in. 公开挑战会促使苏联人一意孤行。
• The Soviets proposed the withdrawal of American ballistic-missile submarines from forward bases. 苏联人建议把美国的弹道导弹潜艇从前沿基地撤走。

7 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

8 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

11 cede   

v.割让，放弃

参考例句：

• The debater refused to cede the point to her opponent.辩论者拒绝向她的对手放弃其主张。
• Not because I'm proud.In fact,in front of you I cede all my pride.这不是因为骄傲，事实上我在你面前毫无骄傲可言。

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 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

14 formulated   

v.构想出( formulate的过去式和过去分词 )；规划；确切地阐述；用公式表示

参考例句：

• He claims that the writer never consciously formulated his own theoretical position. 他声称该作家从未有意识地阐明他自己的理论见解。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This idea can be formulated in two different ways. 这个意思可以有两种说法。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

16 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。

17 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。