VOA标准英语2014--NATO Boosts Presence in Eastern Europe as Turmoil Continues in Ukraine

 

NATO Boosts Presence in Eastern Europe as Turmoil¹ Continues in Ukraine

WASHINGTON — Turmoil in eastern Ukraine continued Tuesday, a day after the United States and Europe announced new sanctions against Russia for failing to take steps to de-escalate the crisis in its neighbor to the west. Pro-Russian demonstrators in the Ukrainian city of Luhansk seized government buildings and the local television center, after similar actions in Donetsk and Slovyansk. NATO is boosting defense² in member nations bordering Russia to allay³ their growing concerns about Moscow's territorial⁴ ambitions. 

Several thousand protesters stormed the regional administration building in Luhansk Tuesday after a group of youths broke windows with metal bars and let the crowd in. The rebels replaced the Ukrainian flag with a Russian one, while riot police stood by.

In the capital, Kyiv, acting⁵ president Oleksander Turchynov lashed⁶ out at the country's law enforcement for failing to act.

"The overwhelming majority of law enforcement bodies in the east are incapable⁷ of fulfilling their duties to defend our citizens. New heads of the Security Service of Ukraine have already been appointed in Donetsk and Luhansk [eastern Ukraine]. The leadership of the special forces "Alpha" has been totally replaced," said Turchynov.

Ukraine and its allies have accused Russia of fueling the crisis in eastern Ukraine to clear the way for another incursion into the region after annexing⁸ the Crimean peninsula. NATO member nations bordering Russia have asked the alliance for additional protection.

Deputy Supreme⁹ Allied¹⁰ Commander in Europe Adrian Bradshaw visited Latvia Tuesday to discuss measures to strengthen NATO's presence in the Baltic region.

"Our judgment¹¹ is that the actions that we've taken at the moment are proportional and appropriate to the changed security dynamic that we face.  It gives a very clear indication on NATO commitment to the region, but the things we are doing could not be considered threatening to anybody outside the region," said Bradshaw.

NATO already has increased its air policing and naval¹² presence in the Baltics. Last week, 450 U.S. paratroopers were deployed¹³ in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, and another 150 in Poland. NATO military exercises are taking place across the region.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Tuesday said NATO is sending a clear message to Moscow that its territory is inviolable.  He also called on NATO members to meet their financial obligations.

“We cannot continue to allow allied defense budgets to shrink. Clearly, not all allies are going to meet the NATO benchmark of 2 percent of GDP overnight, or even next year.  But it’s time for allies who are below that benchmark to make credible¹⁴ commitments to increase their spending on defense over the next five years, and if we’re going to move the trend line in a positive direction, this has to be an alliance-wide effort,” said Kerry.

Russia has accused the West of stirring unrest in the region, but some eastern Europeans who still recall Russian invasions say they feel safer with an increased NATO presence. Lithuanian student Ernestas Tuzinas said he wants even more.

"These are only the first steps. NATO should set up a permanent military base in Lithuania," said Tuzinas. 

The Baltic states spent five decades under Soviet¹⁵ occupation until 1991 and joined NATO in 2004. Poland joined in 1999 and was among the first eastern European NATO members.

1 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 allay   

v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等)

参考例句：

• The police tried to allay her fears but failed.警察力图减轻她的恐惧，但是没有收到什么效果。
• They are trying to allay public fears about the spread of the disease.他们正竭力减轻公众对这种疾病传播的恐惧。

4 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 lashed   

adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
• The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 incapable   

adj.无能力的，不能做某事的

参考例句：

• He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
• Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。

8 annexing   

并吞( annex的现在分词 )； 兼并； 强占； 并吞（国家、地区等）

参考例句：

• In addition to annexing territory, they exacted huge indemnities. 割地之外，又索去了巨大的赔款。
• He succeeded in annexing all the property of Hindley's and the Linton's. 他成功的占有了亨得利和林顿的所有财产。

9 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。

10 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。

11 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

12 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

13 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

14 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

15 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。