Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer says he had tough talks with Putin

Austrian Chancellor¹ Karl Nehammer says he had tough talks with Putin

Transcript²

Chancellor Nehammer says he held "very direct, open and tough" talks on Monday in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin — and told him the war in Ukraine needs to end.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin, sat down to talk yesterday with a Western leader for the first time since his assault on Ukraine began. Austria's chancellor, Karl Nehammer, traveled to Moscow for talks that he called direct, open and tough. Esme Nicholson reports.

ESME NICHOLSON, BYLINE³: Speaking at a solo online briefing afterwards, Austria's chancellor, Karl Nehammer, was quick to dump in any hopes of a swift end to Russia's war in Ukraine.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CHANCELLOR KARL NEHAMMER: (Through interpreter) Very little of what I can report from my meeting with President Putin is optimistic, particularly in view of the fresh offensive the Russians are preparing for on a massive scale in eastern Ukraine.

NICHOLSON: Nehammer says he struggled to get Putin to even agree to guarantee humanitarian⁴ corridors. The Austrian chancellor's visit has raised some eyebrows⁵ and drawn⁶ criticism, not least in Ukraine. But Nehammer insists that meeting the Russian president in person is the only way to get through to him.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

NEHAMMER: (Through interpreter) This was not a friendly visit. I was there to confront Putin with the facts of this war.

NICHOLSON: While Austria is a member of the European Union, it is not a NATO member and considers itself neutral in condemning⁷ Russia's invasion of Ukraine, though Vienna stresses it's neutral only in military terms, not when it comes to morals. As Nehammer was in Moscow meeting Putin, EU foreign ministers gathered in Brussels to discuss a possible oil embargo⁸ and the need to send more weapons as Ukrainian armed forces run out of ammunition⁹. Austria's foreign minister, Alexander Schallenberg, said the EU had been informed of Nehammer's talks with Putin ahead of time.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ALEXANDER SCHALLENBERG: (Through interpreter) Each attempt to make clear to Putin what the reality is beyond the walls of the Kremlin is surely worth making.

NICHOLSON: But with Austria reliant on Russia for 80% of its gas, it finds itself financing Putin's war, at least until the EU decides to impose an embargo. For NPR News, I'm Esme Nicholson in Berlin.

1 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

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 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 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。

5 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

6 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

7 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

9 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。