美国国家公共电台 NPR--Russia's attempt to use energy to pressure Europe could backfire

Russia's attempt to use energy to pressure Europe could backfire

Transcript¹

Russia has cut off natural gas for much of Europe to punish it for its support of Ukraine. But Putin may have miscalculated. Europe has been preparing to survive winter without Russian gas.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Russia has cut delivery of natural gas to much of Europe because of Europe's support of Ukraine. But Russian President Vladimir Putin's move to weaponize energy could backfire long term. If Europe can tolerate what could be a tough winter, it'll emerge less dependent on Russian energy. NPR's international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam has more.

JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE²: Russia has been manipulating the flow of natural gas to Europe even before the war in Ukraine began, including turning off the taps intermittently³. But earlier this month, it indefinitely cut supplies from Nord Stream 1, a key pipeline⁴ that brings natural gas to most of Europe. Few were surprised Putin used energy to try to achieve his goals with Europe.

LOUISE DICKSON: 2004, 2009 and in 2014, Russia also utilized⁵ energy as a political weapon to reach a compromise.

NORTHAM: Louise Dickson is an analyst⁶ in Oslo, Norway, with Rystad Energy. She says Putin may not be as successful this time around.

DICKSON: The past examples seem to not be a template for the current situation, and the stakes have been raised significantly.

NORTHAM: Instead of buckling⁷ to the Kremlin's heavy-handed tactics, Europe so far has stood firm. Many countries had been stockpiling Russian gas for months and scouring⁸ the world for new suppliers such as Qatar, Australia and Algeria. There are grassroots movements to conserve⁹ energy and talk of using more coal and keeping nuclear power plants running. Thane Gustafson is a Russia specialist at Georgetown University and the author of "The Bridge: Natural Gas In A Redivided Europe." He says Putin may have overplayed his hand.

THANE GUSTAFSON: I think that if the Europeans are able to get through the winter and stay united and they get a little bit of luck in the form of some decent weather this winter, by next winter, I think they'll have their alternatives in place. And I think by the end of that second winter, Putin's leverage¹⁰ will be all gone.

NORTHAM: But that's if the coalition¹¹ doesn't fracture, and that's not a given. Energy prices, which were soaring even before the Ukraine war, have now reached a new stratosphere. There have been protests over energy prices in the Czech Republic. Rationing¹² may have to be introduced in some countries. And industries throughout Europe are being shuttered or closed down. David Goldwyn, with the energy advisory¹³ firm Goldwyn Global Strategies, says many European governments are trying to help alleviate¹⁴ the pain.

DAVID GOLDWYN: Saying, we're going to impose a cap on the price of electricity or of gas that can be charged to consumers, but we're going to compensate¹⁵ the providers of those electricity services for the differential. This price relief for one winter would be a way to keep families from going bankrupt.

NORTHAM: Goldwyn says the high price for oil and gas is helping¹⁶ build up Putin's war chest and gives him time to inflict¹⁷ more pain on Europe. But Goldwyn says Putin is running a risk with this strategy. Europe was Russia's biggest customer for natural gas, and it's already slashed¹⁸ its imports. Goldwyn says the Kremlin's talk about selling that gas to China instead is just a pipe dream.

GOLDWYN: Leaving aside how long it takes to cut a deal with the Chinese, the construction of that pipeline, you know, and those fields, you know, you're talking years, if not a decade.

NORTHAM: Georgetown's Gustafson says now, even if the war in Ukraine ended tomorrow, it's unlikely Europe would change its course on Russian energy because Putin's moves have tarnished¹⁹ Russia's reputation as a reliable supplier.

GUSTAFSON: The Russians worked very hard, assiduously, for six decades to build a gas business in Europe, and now Putin has ripped it apart. It will never recover. And that is absolutely baffling.

NORTHAM: That's if Europe can stay united and make it through the next months without Russian gas. Jackie Northam, NPR News.

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 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。

3 intermittently   

adv.间歇地；断断续续

参考例句：

• Winston could not intermittently remember why the pain was happening. 温斯顿只能断断续续地记得为什么这么痛。 来自英汉文学
• The resin moves intermittently down and out of the bed. 树脂周期地向下移动和移出床层。 来自辞典例句

4 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

5 utilized   

v.利用，使用( utilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In the19th century waterpower was widely utilized to generate electricity. 在19世纪人们大规模使用水力来发电。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The empty building can be utilized for city storage. 可以利用那栋空建筑物作城市的仓库。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

7 buckling   

扣住

参考例句：

• A door slammed in the house and a man came out buckling his belt. 房子里的一扇门砰地关上，一个男子边扣腰带边走了出来。
• The periodic buckling leaves the fibre in a waved conformation. 周期性的弯折在纤维中造成波形构成。

8 scouring   

擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤

参考例句：

• The police are scouring the countryside for the escaped prisoners. 警察正在搜索整个乡村以捉拿逃犯。
• This is called the scouring train in wool processing. 这被称为羊毛加工中的洗涤系列。

9 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！

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 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

12 rationing   

n.定量供应

参考例句：

• Wartime austerities included food rationing and shortage of fuel. 战时的艰苦包括食物配给和燃料短缺。
• Food rationing was abolished in that country long ago. 那个国家早就取消了粮食配给制。

13 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

14 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

15 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。

16 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

17 inflict   

vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担

参考例句：

• Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
• Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。

18 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 tarnished   

（通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏

参考例句：

• The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
• His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨，败坏了学校的声誉。