While the U.S. helps Ukraine, it plans to tighten pressure on the Kremlin

While the U.S. helps Ukraine, it plans to tighten¹ pressure on the Kremlin

Transcript²

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is in Brussels for NATO meetings. NPR's Leila Fadel talks to State Department spokesman Ned Price about objectives that could include tougher sanctions on Russia.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Sweeping³ new sanctions are being imposed on Russia. The U.S., European Union and G-7 nations each announced new sanctions in response to the civilian⁴ toll⁵ in Bucha and in other cities across Ukraine in recent days. The newest U.S. sanctions target President Putin's adult children, Russia's largest banks and any new investment in Russia by U.S. nationals. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Brussels for meetings with NATO foreign ministers. Before leaving on that trip, this is what Secretary Blinken said.

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ANTONY BLINKEN: This reinforces our determination and the determination of countries around the world to make sure that one way or another, one day or another, there is accountability for those who committed these acts, for those who ordered them.

FADEL: Joining me now from Brussels is U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price. Welcome.

NED PRICE: Good morning. Thanks for having me.

FADEL: Before we get to the meetings in Brussels, let's start with Ukraine's president. He admonished⁶ the U.N., calling it ineffective in the face of mounting evidence of atrocities⁷ by Russian troops against Ukrainian civilians⁸. Has the U.N. been ineffective?

PRICE: Well, what we know is that Russia has posed a challenge at every turn in institutions and, of course, by its horrific actions on the ground in Ukraine. When it comes to Russia's actions at the U.N., you are going to see the United States take action this week. We are seeking Russia's suspension from the Human Rights Council. What we know is that we cannot let a member state of that council that is subverting⁹ every principle that we hold dear to continue to call itself a member of that council, especially when that country is using the Human Rights Council - which is supposed to stand up to human rights abuses and atrocities, the very elements that Russia is conducting in Ukraine - for the purposes of propaganda. And in recent weeks alone, we have seen a vast majority of the world's countries in the U.N. General Assembly stand up to Russia's aggression¹⁰. A hundred and forty-one countries - 140 countries in respective votes have done just that.

FADEL: But Mr. Price, what will that actually do to change the situation on the ground? Because some parts of the country outside of Kyiv have been liberated¹¹ from Russian forces, but as we speak, other parts of Ukraine are besieged¹². How urgent is it for Russia and Ukraine to negotiate an end to this war now so that more civilians aren't killed? And what will removing Russia from the Human Rights Council actually do?

PRICE: Well, No. 1, removing Russia from the Human Rights Council will correct a wrong, a fundamental wrong, that a country like Russia that is committing war crimes, that is using, as I said before, that very seat for the sole purpose of propaganda to spread lies and disinformation - that will correct a fundamental injustice¹³. But that is not the entirety of our strategy, of course. We are going to continue to support Ukraine militarily, to support Ukraine economically, to support the Ukrainian people with humanitarian¹⁴ assistance, just as we continue to tighten the pressure on the Kremlin. And you're going to see additional important action on that latter front today. Not only do both of these things help Ukraine on the battlefield, but it actually strengthens Ukraine's hand at the negotiating table.

FADEL: How close is a diplomatic solution? I mean, is there a negotiated end to this war if Russia hasn't lost decisively? Putin has not backed down, has sold a false narrative¹⁵ to his country about liberating¹⁶ Ukrainians. Will he accept anything that doesn't portray¹⁷ him as the victor in this war?

PRICE: Well, unfortunately, I don't think we're close. And I say that because even as Ukraine engages in good faith with Russia, even as our allies and partners around the world - like Israel, Turkey, France, Germany, others - continue to use their good offices to try to foster dialogue and diplomacy¹⁸, we have seen Russia continue to engage in this brutal¹⁹ military campaign. We have seen very few indications to date suggesting that Russia is actually serious about diplomacy. So until and unless that changes, we are going to continue with the prongs of our strategy, supporting Ukraine militarily. And just overnight, Secretary Blinken announced an additional $100 million in security assistance for Ukrainian partners, bringing the total to $2.4 billion over the course of this administration, $1.7 billion since this aggression started. And along with that, we are going to continue to tighten the pressure on the Kremlin. Both of these things, again, will not only work to Ukraine's favor on the battlefield, but again, it will strengthen Ukraine's hand at the negotiating table.

FADEL: You talked about other announcements today. And as I mentioned, top of the agenda in Brussels is the levying²⁰ of even more robust²¹ sanctions. But, Mr. Price, can economic sanctions really have their intended impact without the cooperation of China and India? What is the Biden administration doing to try to bring those two nations into alignment²² with the U.S. and Europe?

PRICE: Well, we are here in Brussels with our NATO allies, with our G-7 partners from around the globe. And when we act together with this set of allies and partners, the United States and this constellation²³ of countries, we constitute more than 50% of global GDP. No other collection of countries that is - that has shown any degree of real cooperation can come close to that. So, yes, absolutely, our measures can have bite. And I think what you've seen in the past couple days as the scale of atrocities has become clear - you have seen countries like India condemn²⁴ in no uncertain terms what Russia is doing. So Russia, in its own horrifying²⁵ way, is in some manner doing our job for us, sending a very clear signal to the world that countries have to stand up.

FADEL: You talked about the diplomatic solution, that it doesn't look like it's soon. The U.S. and NATO allies have affirmed that President Zelenskyy's right to negotiate an end to this war - has the right to negotiate an end to this war on terms acceptable to Ukraine. And among those terms for Zelenskyy are security guarantees from NATO allies, should Russia attack again. If Ukraine gives up its NATO aspirations²⁶, among those Zelenskyy wants guarantees from is the U.S. Is the U.S. willing to provide these security guarantees?

PRICE: Well, we are in constant dialogue with our Ukrainian partners. Secretary Blinken speaks to his counterpart, Foreign Minister Kuleba, regularly. As you know, President Biden speaks to President Zelenskyy regularly. Our national security adviser²⁷ speaks to his counterpart. So we're having these discussions. And we can't get into details. As I said before, it's a hypothetical. There is no agreement. There's very little indication at this point that the Russians are serious about finding a diplomatic solution at this very moment. But we are prepared to do our part, including by ensuring that however and whenever this ends, it will be a strategic defeat for Moscow, that Moscow will be weaker, it will be isolated²⁸, and importantly, Moscow won't be able to undertake this kind of aggression in the coming months or the coming years.

FADEL: U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price, speaking to us from Brussels, thank you for taking the time.

PRICE: Thanks for having me.

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1 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

2 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。

3 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

4 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。

5 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

6 admonished   

v.劝告( admonish的过去式和过去分词 )；训诫；（温和地）责备；轻责

参考例句：

• She was admonished for chewing gum in class. 她在课堂上嚼口香糖，受到了告诫。
• The teacher admonished the child for coming late to school. 那个孩子迟到，老师批评了他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 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。

9 subverting   

v.颠覆，破坏（政治制度、宗教信仰等）( subvert的现在分词 )；使（某人）道德败坏或不忠

参考例句：

• This viewpoint sees the Multinational Corporation as capable of circumventing or subverting national objectives and policies. 这种观点认为，跨国公司能够遏制和破坏国家的目标和政策。 来自辞典例句
• By simply subverting an expectation, a novelist can undermine a prejudice. 藉由完全推翻期待，一个小说家可以逐渐破坏一种歧视。 来自互联网

10 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。

11 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

12 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

13 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

14 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

15 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

16 liberating   

解放，释放( liberate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Revolution means liberating the productive forces. 革命就是为了解放生产力。
• They had already taken on their shoulders the burden of reforming society and liberating mankind. 甚至在这些集会聚谈中，他们就已经夸大地把改革社会、解放人群的责任放在自己的肩头了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

17 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

18 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。

19 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

20 levying   

征（兵）( levy的现在分词 )； 索取； 发动（战争）； 征税

参考例句：

• The high tax will be given levying to the foreign country car. 对外国汽车要予以征收高税。
• Levying estate income tax are considered to be goods tax. 遗产税是在财产所有者死亡后所征收的税。

21 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

22 alignment   

n.队列；结盟，联合

参考例句：

• The church should have no political alignment.教会不应与政治结盟。
• Britain formed a close alignment with Egypt in the last century.英国在上个世纪与埃及结成了紧密的联盟。

23 constellation   

n.星座n.灿烂的一群

参考例句：

• A constellation is a pattern of stars as seen from the earth. 一个星座只是从地球上看到的某些恒星的一种样子。
• The Big Dipper is not by itself a constellation. 北斗七星本身不是一个星座。

24 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

25 horrifying   

a.令人震惊的，使人毛骨悚然的

参考例句：

• He went to great pains to show how horrifying the war was. 他极力指出战争是多么的恐怖。
• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate. 战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。

26 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

27 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

28 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。