U.N. meeting is full of tense exchanges between the U.S. and Russia

U.N. meeting is full of tense exchanges between the U.S. and Russia

Transcript¹

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield about the clash over the issue of Ukraine between the U.S. and Russia at Monday's Security Council meeting.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The path to a diplomatic solution involving Russia and Ukraine appears to be narrowing. The tensions burst onto the world stage at the U.N. Security Council yesterday. Russia's ambassador to the U.N., Vasily Nebenzya, accused the U.S. of provoking Russia to attack Ukraine. He spoke² through a U.N. interpreter.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

VASILY NEBENZYA: (Through interpreter) The discussions about a threat of war is provocative³ in and of itself. You are almost calling for this. You want it to happen. You're waiting for it to happen, as if you want to make your words become a reality.

FADEL: Russia's ambassador aimed his words at U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield. And she joins us now. Ambassador, thank you for being on the program.

LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Thank you. I'm delighted to be here with you.

FADEL: So yesterday, your Russian counterpart said that U.S. warnings about a possible invasion were, quote, "hysterical⁴ fear-mongering." Is he wrong?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: We expected to hear that kind of response from the Russians. They did not want to stand before the world and explain what they are doing on the border with Ukraine. And we called the meeting for just that purpose and to pursue - continue to pursue a diplomatic response, given the stakes that we see for Ukraine and for Europe and for the rest of the world. And I think what was important is that the Russians heard almost every member of the Security Council tell them that they agreed with us, that the path of diplomacy⁵ is better than the path of war.

FADEL: But I've got to ask you - you know, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has also complained about U.S. warnings, saying it has needlessly caused a panic that puts Ukraine's economy at risk. What do you make of that?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Well, you know, the permanent representative, the ambassador from Ukraine, was at the meeting yesterday. And he reaffirmed our concerns and Ukraine's concerns about the situation on their border. And we have met with the president. We've met with the foreign minister. And I think you had the foreign minister on your line this morning.

FADEL: Yes. Mary Louise Kelly spoke with him yesterday on All Things Considered.

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Yes. And he said that they absolutely agree. He confirmed there were more than 100,000 troops on the border. Their messaging is different from ours, as he noted⁶. But the goals are the same.

FADEL: You spoke about a diplomatic solution. But will this very public confrontation⁷ at the U.N. Security Council hurt, quiet diplomacy?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: You know, we've had more than a hundred quiet, behind-the-scenes meetings with the Russians. This meeting at the Security Council, while public, was one more diplomatic effort to give the Russians an opportunity to explain what they are doing on the border with Ukraine. We are continuing to relentlessly⁸ engage with them diplomatically. As you may have heard, Secretary Blinken is speaking with Foreign Minister Lavrov today. That's part of that diplomatic approach that we have not given up on.

FADEL: Yesterday, do you feel like something was actually accomplished⁹?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Absolutely. Russia heard from the world that they agree with us. They tried to stop this meeting. They called for a vote. And they did not win. The council voted to hear from Russia. The council voted to discuss this issue openly and publicly. So it clearly was not a failure. It was an absolute - for us, it was an absolute success in the sense that we allowed the world to hear what we've been hearing from the Russians. And we were able to refute their disinformation and their propaganda campaign.

FADEL: Now, if the diplomatic efforts don't work and Russia does invade Ukraine, does the U.N. have any leverage¹⁰ to try to resolve the crisis, especially given Russia's veto power and possible support from China?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Absolutely. We will continue to work within the Security Council to pursue an approach that will allow us to hold Russia accountable. And Russia saw that happen in 2014, as well. So there's definitely a possibility. But I will say, I think, clearly - and you've heard it from us before - that our response will be swift. And it will be severe. And it will be united. And Russia has heard that.

FADEL: I have to ask - the U.S. has made some pretty major miscalculations on the world stage, most recently in Afghanistan, where the U.S. didn't seem to anticipate the Taliban's quick takeover. There was also a case made for the war in Iraq at the Security Council. Why should the world listen to the U.S. this time?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: The world can listen to the Ukrainians. The world can listen to the Russians. Russia has 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine. There is no equivocation¹¹ about that. There's no question that their intentions have been nefarious¹². But at the same time, the world is not just hearing it from us, they're hearing it from others.

FADEL: And is the assessment¹³ of the administration right now that an invasion is still imminent¹⁴?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: No, I would not say that we are arguing that it's imminent because we're still pursuing a diplomatic solution to give the Russians an offramp. Our hope is that this will work and that Putin will understand that war and confrontation is not the path that he wants to follow. But he wants to take a path of diplomacy. We're giving them an opportunity to discuss their security concerns, Europe's security concerns and certainly Ukraine's security concerns. So we'll keep working on that.

FADEL: Just in the few seconds we have left, what kind of conversations are you having with the Chinese these days? Russia drew the support of China's ambassador, who called for quiet diplomacy.

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: You know, I think the Chinese approach was not unexpected. They generally will align¹⁵ with Russia in the Security Council in terms of votes. But the message that the Chinese delivered calling for diplomacy was the message that Russia heard from all the members of the council.

FADEL: Ambassador, thank you for your time.

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Thank you very much.

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 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。

3 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

4 hysterical   

adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的

参考例句：

• He is hysterical at the sight of the photo.他一看到那张照片就异常激动。
• His hysterical laughter made everybody stunned.他那歇斯底里的笑声使所有的人不知所措。

5 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 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。

8 relentlessly   

adv.不屈不挠地；残酷地；不间断

参考例句：

• The African sun beat relentlessly down on his aching head. 非洲的太阳无情地照射在他那发痛的头上。
• He pursued her relentlessly, refusing to take 'no' for an answer. 他锲而不舍地追求她，拒不接受“不”的回答。

9 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

10 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

11 equivocation   

n.模棱两可的话，含糊话

参考例句：

• These actions must be condemned without equivocation. 对这些行为必须毫不含糊地予以谴责。 来自辞典例句
• With caution, and with some equivocation, Bohr took a further step. 玻尔谨慎地而又有些含糊其词地采取了更深入的步骤。 来自辞典例句

12 nefarious   

adj.恶毒的，极坏的

参考例句：

• My father believes you all have a nefarious purpose here.我父亲认为你们都有邪恶的目的。
• He was universally feared because of his many nefarious deeds.因为他干了许多罪恶的勾当，所以人人都惧怕他。

13 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？

14 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

15 align   

vt.使成一线，结盟，调节；vi.成一线，结盟

参考例句：

• Align the ruler and the middle of the paper.使尺子与纸张的中部成一条直线。
• There are signs that the prime minister is aligning himself with the liberals.有迹象表明首相正在与自由党人结盟。