Biden will be in Brussels for NATO's meeting on the war in Ukraine

Biden will be in Brussels for NATO's meeting on the war in Ukraine

　　Transcript¹

　　NPR's A Martinez speaks with Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, about President Biden's diplomatic strategy at the upcoming NATO summit on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

　　A MARTINEZ, HOST:

　　For more on the U.S.-NATO approach to Ukraine, we have Richard Haass, president on - of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former diplomat². Richard, welcome.

　　RICHARD HAASS: Good morning.

　　MARTINEZ: Now, President Biden is expected to announce new sanctions on Russia during this trip. So far, those sanctions have not seemed to deter³ Vladimir Putin. I saw that you wrote that if - Vladimir Putin is maybe more motivated to make a deal - actually, to make a point on Ukraine than to make a deal on them. Then what is the point of these sanctions, given the urgency?

　　HAASS: Well, the sanctions are one tool in the arsenal⁴. Obviously, it makes Russia pay a price for its aggression⁵. But the history of sanctions is such that they're not going to deliver Russia. But hopefully over time - and I understand that time is not necessarily on our side or Ukraine's side - but hopefully over time, they will increase the pressure or incentive⁶ on Russia to compromise.

　　MARTINEZ: The EU has not sanctioned Russia where it hurts the most, and that's oil and gas, because many Europeans still depend on Russian energy. Can the U.S. and the EU maybe work together to sanction Russia's energy, and maybe that could have a bigger impact on Vladimir Putin?

　　HAASS: That could have a much bigger impact on Vladimir Putin if it could be done. We're talking about nearly a billion dollars - with a B - going to Putin every day. So that offsets⁷ many of the other sanctions. The problem is Germany and parts of Europe have allowed themselves to become heavily energy-dependent on Russia, and there's simply no short-term way to turn the key here. You're talking about not just months, but probably years of gradually winding⁸ down dependence⁹ on Russia and winding up alternatives. And like I said, that's a matter of years.

　　MARTINEZ: Yeah. You know, yesterday on MORNING EDITION, my colleague Steve Inskeep spoke¹⁰ with retired¹¹ Air Force General Philip Breedlove. He's also a former NATO supreme¹² allied¹³ commander. This is what he had to say about President Biden's approach to publicly stating what he is willing to do and what he is willing to not do.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

　　PHILIP BREEDLOVE: You've heard these very public notes - no this, no that. And I think that we should be having conversations, and not so publicly. A military force wants to plan and look at options. And to stand up and take those options off the table preemptively is not the way we operate. We should allow military planners to take a look at this and then advise the civilians¹⁵ who make the decisions.

　　MARTINEZ: So, Richard, what do you think about General Breedlove's assessment¹⁶ about not taking things off the table?

　　HAASS: I disagree in the sense that we should not be threatening things we're not prepared to do. We were not prepared to put boots on the ground to resist the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And again, you don't want to raise questions of your credibility. Plus, we're doing a lot. We are providing a lot of arms to Ukraine. We are strengthening NATO. What I think we have to do - and by the way, no one's telling the military not to plan. That's what militaries do. They plan.

　　What we can do is plan for various scenarios¹⁷. How do we plan, for example, for potential Russian escalation¹⁸ if they were to attack arms depots¹⁹ within NATO? How do we plan for Russian use of weapons of mass destruction, chemical or nuclear, inside Ukraine and so forth²⁰? How do we plan for Russian cyberattacks? All of that, we are doing, and we need to do, indeed. That's one of the big subjects for this summit. One of the sensitive areas is, how do we prepare for the fact that Russia may not simply continue to do what it's doing, which is essentially²¹ bombing civilian¹⁴ areas, but that it might be tempted²² to escalate²³ in any number of ways?

　　MARTINEZ: Doesn't, though, that give Vladimir Putin a road map on where he can go and not go, possibly?

　　HAASS: Well, he seems to have chosen a path where, again, he's not so much fighting the Ukraine army as he's fighting or attacking Ukrainian civilians. What we need to do is continue to strengthen Ukraine's army. One thing we might want to look at is how we attack, for - give them the means to attack Russian ships in the Black Sea that are bombing ports in the south. But the whole idea here is to forge an effective indirect response, indirect help for Ukraine, without risking direct confrontation²⁴ with Russia. That's the balancing act of the NATO strategy.

　　MARTINEZ: What if Belarus gets involved? What if they send troops into Ukraine to assist Russia? How does that change things?

　　HAASS: Complicates²⁵ things. That would basically make Belarus a combatant. And we would want to look for ways that we're not just sanctioning Belarus exhaustively, but potentially, if they're going to become part of the theater of military operations, then they have to take the consequences of that.

　　MARTINEZ: Where do you see this conflict going in the coming weeks, or do I even say months, possibly, at this point?

　　HAASS: I think you do say months, possibly, even potentially longer. Look, the optimist²⁶ in me would like to sit here and tell you, A, that we're going to have a negotiated outcome where various compromises will trade off. I don't see it happening at the moment. I think the most likely thing is a long war, what you might call a frozen conflict. Well, what we're seeing now, we're going to see a version of it - a military war between the Ukraine and the Russian armed forces, attacks on civilians - potentially with the possibility of escalation. I'm afraid that that's Ukraine's future for the foreseeable future.

　　MARTINEZ: That's Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations. Richard, thank you.

　　HAASS: 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 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

3 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

4 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

5 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。

6 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

7 offsets   

n.开端( offset的名词复数 )；出发v.抵消( offset的第三人称单数 )；补偿；（为了比较的目的而）把…并列（或并置）；为（管道等）装支管

参考例句：

• The following paragraphs deal with intra-source offsets and the so-called \"bubble\" concept. 下面讨论污染源内部的补偿和所谓的“泡泡”概念。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The preceding paragraphs were concerned with inter-source offsets. 前文牵涉到污染源之间的补偿。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

8 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

9 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

12 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

13 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

14 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

15 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。

16 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

17 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

18 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

19 depots   

仓库( depot的名词复数 )； 火车站； 车库； 军需库

参考例句：

• Public transportation termini and depots are important infrastructures for a city. 公交场站设施是城市重要的基础设施。
• In the coastal cities are equipped with after-sales service and depots. 在各沿海城市均设有服务部及售后维修站。

20 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

21 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。

22 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

23 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

24 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

25 complicates   

使复杂化( complicate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• What complicates the issue is the burden of history. 历史的重负使问题复杂化了。
• Russia as a great and ambitious power gravely complicates the situation. 俄国作为一个强大而有野心的国家，使得局势异常复杂。

26 optimist   

n.乐观的人，乐观主义者

参考例句：

• We are optimist and realist.我们是乐观主义者，又是现实主义者。
• Peter,ever the optimist,said things were bound to improve.一向乐观的皮特说，事情必定是会好转的。