美国国家公共电台 NPR--The U.S. is sending advanced rocket systems to Ukraine, but not to be shot into Russia

The U.S. is sending advanced rocket systems to Ukraine, but not to be shot into Russia

Transcript¹

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine nears the 100-day mark, the U.S. is sending Ukraine more advanced weaponry in the hopes of strengthening its position on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.

President Joe Biden wrote in a Tuesday New York Times opinion essay that the more advanced rocket systems and munitions² will enable Ukrainians to make more precision strikes on battlefield targets in their own country. He went on to outline what the U.S. will and won't do when it comes to the war in Ukraine.

The president stressed that "we are not encouraging or enabling Ukraine to strike beyond its borders," while senior administration officials separately said that Ukraine gave assurances it would not use the missiles to strike inside of Russia.

But the U.S. will — among other things — continue cooperating with allies on Russian sanctions and providing Ukraine with advanced weaponry and financial assistance, Biden added. These longer-range rockets are part of a new weapons package, announced by the White House on Wednesday and estimated at $700 million.

"Americans will stay the course with the Ukrainian people because we understand that freedom is not free," he wrote. "That's what we have always done whenever the enemies of freedom seek to bully³ and oppress innocent people, and it is what we are doing now."

What is the U.S. sending?

The U.S. is providing Ukraine with several M142 High Mobility⁴ Artillery⁵ Rocket Systems, a senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday.

The satellite-guided systems — which the U.S. used most recently against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan — are based on truck chassis⁶ and extremely precise.

Their range is about 40 miles, which is roughly three times farther than the Howitzer artillery the U.S. has sent to Ukraine. Along with Western intelligence, these new rocket systems will make it possible for Ukrainians to reach critical Russian targets — such as command-and-control centers or fuel depots⁷ — and possibly slow the Russian advance, especially in eastern Ukraine.

Using the sophisticated system typically requires months of training, but the U.S. reportedly plans to shorten the training period to about a week.

What is Russia saying?

Even before Biden's announcement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had warned last week that sending Ukraine weapons that could hit Russian territory would be a serious step toward escalation⁸.

In what appears to be a response to Biden's announcement, about 1,000 members of the strategic nuclear force are conducting exercises, Russia's defense⁹ ministry¹⁰ said Wednesday.

Biden acknowledged the concerns about Russia's potential use of nuclear weapons, which he said "would be completely unacceptable to us as well as the rest of the world and would entail¹¹ severe consequences."

"We currently see no indication that Russia has intent to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, though Russia's occasional rhetoric¹² to rattle¹³ the nuclear saber is itself dangerous and extremely irresponsible," he wrote.

Why announce it in a newspaper column?

It's not clear why Biden chose to share the news in an essay, but the editorial pages of The Times could provide a hint.

A recent editorial by the newspaper said that "a negotiated peace may require Ukraine to make hard decisions," indicating the country might have to give up land.

That angered Ukrainian officials. Biden's essay, with its clear assurances of U.S. support, may have been an answer to the piece.

"My principle throughout this crisis has been 'Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,' " he wrote. "I will not pressure the Ukrainian government — in private or public — to make any territorial¹⁴ concessions¹⁵. It would be wrong and contrary to well-settled principles to do so."

He said the U.S. would continue to stand by Ukraine, describing that as not only the right thing to do but "in our vital national interests to ensure a peaceful and stable Europe and to make it clear that might does not make right."

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 munitions   

n.军火，弹药；v.供应…军需品

参考例句：

• The army used precision-guided munitions to blow up enemy targets.军队用精确瞄准的枪炮炸掉敌方目标。
• He rose [made a career for himself] by dealing in munitions.他是靠贩卖军火发迹的。

3 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

4 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

5 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

6 chassis   

n.汽车等之底盘；（飞机的）起落架；炮底架

参考例句：

• The new parts may include the sheet metal,the transmission,or the chassis.新部件可能包括钢壳，变速器或底盘。
• Can chassis and whole-vehicle manufacturers co-exist peacefully?底盘企业和整车企业能相安无事吗？

7 depots   

仓库( depot的名词复数 )； 火车站； 车库； 军需库

参考例句：

• Public transportation termini and depots are important infrastructures for a city. 公交场站设施是城市重要的基础设施。
• In the coastal cities are equipped with after-sales service and depots. 在各沿海城市均设有服务部及售后维修站。

8 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

9 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。

10 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。

11 entail   

vt.使承担，使成为必要，需要

参考例句：

• Such a decision would entail a huge political risk.这样的决定势必带来巨大的政治风险。
• This job would entail your learning how to use a computer.这工作将需要你学会怎样用计算机。

12 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

13 rattle   

v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓

参考例句：

• The baby only shook the rattle and laughed and crowed.孩子只是摇着拨浪鼓，笑着叫着。
• She could hear the rattle of the teacups.她听见茶具叮当响。

14 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。

15 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。