Estonia's ambassador to the U.S. weighs in on Russian invasion of Ukraine

Estonia's ambassador to the U.S. weighs in on Russian invasion of Ukraine

Transcript¹

NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Jonatan Vseviov, secretary general of Estonia's foreign ministry² and Estonia's ambassador to the U.S. since 2018, about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Now I want to turn to Jonatan Vseviov. He is the secretary general of Estonia's Foreign Ministry and has served as Estonia's ambassador to the United States since 2018. Ambassador, thank you for joining us.

JONATAN VSEVIOV: Well, thanks for having me.

MARTIN: How would you characterize this moment?

VSEVIOV: Well, what we're seeing right now is a full-scale military aggression³ against a sovereign European state that is totally unprovoked and is a total violation⁴ of all international norms and hence absolutely unacceptable. I can also (inaudible) that this aggression will be met with wide international condemnation⁵ and economic devastation⁶ for Russia. European leaders are meeting - are about to meet, actually, this very evening to finalize⁷ the sanctions package that is fully⁸ coordinated⁹ with that of the United States and that of the United Kingdom. There will be wide international repercussions¹⁰ for this aggression.

MARTIN: How likely are tougher sanctions now? Now that the attack is underway, how likely are they to really deter¹¹ Putin at this point?

VSEVIOV: Well, I think we've reached a point where, clearly, the diplomatic efforts that we were engaged in to deter have clearly failed. Military aggression - full-scale military aggression is taking place. Ukraine is being invaded from three sides. Ukraine cities - major cities - are under attack from the air by missiles. The sanctions are meant to punish the aggressor and force him to pull back, reconsider. The sanctions will be significant. They might take time, but we need to demonstrate strategic patience.

MARTIN: In the meantime, Ukraine suffers. I mean, what is to prevent Russia from, in this moment, in a matter of weeks or days, from seizing control of an independent country on the European continent?

VSEVIOV: As far as we can tell, the Ukrainians are putting up resistance. They are fighting. The Ukrainian desire for freedom and democracy will not go away. And Ukrainians should know that the - not just Europe and NATO, but actually the wider world is with them. I refer to, for instance, the statements of the secretary-general of the United Nations. We were - Estonia was occupied for 50 years, and yet we managed to keep the flame of freedom alive. This flame will prevail in Ukraine as well.

MARTIN: Do you think concessions¹² should be made to Vladimir Putin to convince him to pull back in the form of a promise to never let Ukraine into the alliance or an agreement to somehow dilute¹³ the strength of NATO forces along the eastern borders with Russia?

VSEVIOV: No. We've learned and relearned this lesson in European history time and time again. If we take a step back in the face of aggression, the aggressor will take a step forward. No, absolutely not. What provokes Putin is weakness, lack of unity¹⁴. I think he has clearly underestimated Western resolve. He will now be faced with a more united, a stronger West, a stronger sanctions package, a stronger and more significant isolation¹⁵ and major economic impact. That is the way to deter an aggressor.

MARTIN: The Pentagon has confirmed that they are moving troops - troops that were already stationed in Europe, but they're moving even more troops to the East. There will be military exercises taking place. They were preplanned. Even so, this is a demonstration¹⁶ of strength. But what is the point of military posturing¹⁷? I mean, the U.S. and NATO have said they will send no boots in on the ground. So how much of a deterrent¹⁸ can a more pronounced military presence be on borders?

VSEVIOV: Well, the military attack is - has been unleashed¹⁹ against Ukraine. There is no question about that. But what has also happened is the fundamental undermining of the European, transatlantic and actually international security - the most basic of these norms upon which international life stands. So we need to make sure - while we're sanctioning and punishing the aggressor, we need to make sure that there is absolutely no miscalculation regarding NATO and NATO's collective defense²⁰.

So the aim of everything that the alliance is doing, that NATO is doing, that the United States military in Europe is doing is to make sure that the collective defense of the alliance of Article 5 is indeed ironclad and not just demonstrated by the speeches that we give, but by the deeds that we undertake. There are allied²¹ forces in the Baltic States already. A number of allies have already made decisions to increase that presence. NATO held consultations²² under the so-called Article 4 of the Washington Treaty this very morning. There will be a leaders meeting hopefully tomorrow, where these decisions will be stressed again. So this is all about making sure that there is no miscalculation regarding NATO and (inaudible).

MARTIN: The head of UNHCR, the U.N.'s refugee agency, in Kyiv told me that a Russian attack like we're seeing now could produce a flow of refugees toward - up towards 5 million that would flee Ukraine and make their way through Europe. Is Europe prepared for that?

VSEVIOV: Look. I mean, Ukraine is a major country, a country of approximately 40 million people. The military operation that has now been unleashed on Ukraine, it has no precedent²³ on this continent since 1945. This is a major catastrophe²⁴, not just a theoretical, you know, problem in some faraway country. This is changing not just Europe. It is changing world history, what we're seeing in front of our eyes today. It is also a total human catastrophe for the civilians²⁵ of Ukraine. We are prepared for all eventualities. We have been aware of this looming²⁶ crisis for quite some time, and we have taken precautions to deal with it.

MARTIN: Jonatan Vseviov, Estonia's ambassador to the United States, we appreciate your time. Thank you very much.

VSEVIOV: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

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 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

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 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

5 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

6 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

10 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。

12 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

13 dilute   

vt.稀释，冲淡；adj.稀释的，冲淡的

参考例句：

• The water will dilute the wine.水能使酒变淡。
• Zinc displaces the hydrogen of dilute acids.锌置换了稀酸中的氢。

14 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

15 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

16 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

17 posturing   

做出某种姿势( posture的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was posturing a model. 她正在摆模特儿的姿势。
• She says the President may just be posturing. 她说总统也许只是在做样子而已。

18 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

19 unleashed   

v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The government's proposals unleashed a storm of protest in the press. 政府的提案引发了新闻界的抗议浪潮。
• The full force of his rage was unleashed against me. 他把所有的怒气都发泄在我身上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 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。

21 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。

22 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

23 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

24 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

25 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。

26 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望