美国国家公共电台 NPR--There soon may be a deal to free up Ukrainian grain shipments blocked by Russia

There soon may be a deal to free up Ukrainian grain shipments blocked by Russia

Transcript¹

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Russian has blocked shipment of grain. Negotiations³ have taken place for weeks, mediated⁴ by Turkey and the U.N., to oversee⁵ safe passage of the shipments.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The United Nations appears to be on the verge⁶ of brokering⁷ a deal to get badly needed grain supplies from Ukraine to the rest of the world.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Right. These supplies have been held up by what's effectively been a Russian blockade on Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea. Millions of tons of grain have been piling up there. The Turkish government says a signing ceremony is supposed to happen today for an agreement between Russia, Ukraine, the U.N. and Turkey. This would facilitate the shipping⁸ of all that grain.

FADEL: NPR's Charles Maynes joins us now from Moscow with details. Hi, Charles.

CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE⁹: Hi there.

FADEL: So we don't know for sure yet if this agreement will be finished today. There have been contentious¹⁰ negotiations for weeks. But can you just start by reminding us of how the war has endangered food supplies?

MAYNES: Yeah, sure. You know, this goes back to the fact that the conflict in Ukraine is unfolding against what's often called the breadbasket of Europe.

FADEL: Right.

MAYNES: The wider region is a key source of grains and fertilizers that normally ship out through the Black Sea to global markets. Only because of the fighting, Ukrainian grain can't make it out due to the presence of Russian warships¹¹. Meanwhile, Russian agricultural exports are also stuck, not because of Western sanctions on Russian grain or fertilizer - those don't exist - but because of snags due to penalties on Russian banking¹² and shipping. And these two factors combined have really led to food shortages and rising food prices that are impacting the poorest countries in places like Latin America, Asia, East Africa, putting millions on the verge of famine.

FADEL: So in this negotiation², what are the contours of the deal they're chasing?

MAYNES: Well, you know, everyone says they want the grain to ship, but it's really Russia placing conditions on what might allow that to happen. Russia says it wants a comprehensive approach, one that links the release of Ukrainian grain with the lifting of restrictions¹³ on Russian agricultural exports. Ukraine and its allies call that blackmail¹⁴ and an attempt, really, to get sanctions relief. The key mediators here, first of all, are the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has lobbied a great deal with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine in recent months.

The other key player here is Turkey, which has hosted peace talks but also pitched itself as a go-between on this grain issue. And it makes sense, given Turkey's geography. You know, any shipments from the Black Sea have to pass through the Bosporus strait, which runs through Turkey, in order to get grain where it needs to go. We don't know the exact terms of the deal, but the outline suggests a role for the U.N. and Turkey to essentially¹⁵ play traffic cop. In other words, they'll offer to guarantee safe passage of ships containing grain out of the region while making sure that those coming in don't bring in contraband¹⁶ or weapons. And it's pretty clear that any deal will likely involve moving both Ukrainian grain and Russian ag, meaning Moscow is getting a good deal of what it's been demanding all along.

FADEL: So assuming they can get a deal, do we know when grain might actually start shipping?

MAYNES: Well, we don't. But clearly time is of the essence. Soon the harvest begins in this part of the world, and there's a rush to free up silos and, of course, get the grain out to countries in need. Now, President Putin has repeatedly said Russia's ready to guarantee shipments right away, but there's a host of complicating¹⁷ factors. For example, in these Russian-occupied territories in, say, east Ukraine - you know, whose grain is it now? There's also the issue of explosive mines in the waters that the Ukrainians put there to defend their ports from attack. And Russia has said repeatedly it won't attack if Ukraine de-mines the waters to allow grain shipments out. But that's a hard sell when Russia continues to fire missiles from the Black Sea onto Ukraine, including port cities like Odesa.

FADEL: NPR's Charles Maynes in Moscow. Thank you so much for your reporting.

MAYNES: 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 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。

3 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。

4 mediated   

调停，调解，斡旋( mediate的过去式和过去分词 )； 居间促成； 影响…的发生； 使…可能发生

参考例句：

• He mediated in the quarrel between the two boys. 他调解两个孩子之间的争吵。
• The government mediated between the workers and the employers. 政府在工人与雇主间搞调和。

5 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

6 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

7 brokering   

v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的现在分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• Intertwined with these were rivalry, power brokering, and patronage. 然而也不乏有抗争、强权操纵与任命特权交织其中。 来自互联网
• Kingston Quest Can Assist Your Company In Negotiations, Brokering, Agency Services, Sourcing Factories Or Property. 金士顿追求，可帮助您的公司在谈判中，经纪，代理服务，货源工厂或财产。 来自互联网

8 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

9 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。

10 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

11 warships   

军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只

参考例句：

• The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后，敌舰退出了海战。
• The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。

12 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

13 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

14 blackmail   

n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓

参考例句：

• She demanded ＄1000 blackmail from him.她向他敲诈了1000美元。
• The journalist used blackmail to make the lawyer give him the documents.记者讹诈那名律师交给他文件。

15 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。

16 contraband   

n.违禁品，走私品

参考例句：

• Most of the city markets were flooded with contraband goods.大多数的城市市场上都充斥着走私货。
• The customs officers rummaged the ship suspected to have contraband goods.海关人员仔细搜查了一艘有走私嫌疑的海轮。

17 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。