美国国家公共电台 NPR--Armored vehicle pledge to Ukraine marks a change in the war with Russia

Armored vehicle pledge to Ukraine marks a change in the war with Russia

Transcript¹

The U.S., France and Germany have recently announced plans to send armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine. The Western-designed weapons are an upgrade, but they're not the tanks that Ukraine wants.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The U.S., France and Germany all recently announced they will send new armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine. They're not the heavy main battle tanks Kyiv has been asking for. But, as NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports, what some refer to as, quote, "light tanks" are the first Western-designed vehicles of their kind to be sent. And they mark a change in what the West is willing to provide.

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE²: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy began a recent nightly address by thanking France for its AMX-10 armored fighting vehicles.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: (Non-English language spoken).

BEARDSLEY: France is taking European defense³ support for Ukraine to a new level with these light tanks, said Zelenskyy. I thank President Macron for his leadership. The following day, the U.S. and Germany committed to give Ukraine Bradley and Marder armored personnel carriers. Ulrike Franke is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. She focuses on security.

ULRIKE FRANKE: These are important systems insofar as they allow Ukraine to put infantry⁴ soldiers closer to the action in a way that's kind of safe and secure for them. It's not quite big combat tanks yet. But it will make a difference for the counter offensive.

BEARDSLEY: Until recently, powerful equipment like this was off the table, says Sylvie Kauffmann, foreign affairs columnist⁵ with French newspaper Le Monde.

SYLVIE KAUFFMANN: I think it's a sign that we understand that we have to go all the way with the Ukrainians and try to help them more efficiently⁶ to win this war.

BEARDSLEY: President Macron has been criticized for saying that Russian security should be taken into account and for keeping an open line with President Vladimir Putin. But in his New Year's Eve address, Macron left no doubt that France will support Ukrainians until the end.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON: (Non-English language spoken).

BEARDSLEY: Your fight is heroic. And you inspire us, he said. France will be by your side until victory.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MACRON: (Non-English language spoken).

BEARDSLEY: For Germany, there's been a psychological barrier to going too far to help Ukraine because of its own past. In World War II, the Nazis⁷ invaded the Soviet⁸ Union, killing⁹ millions of soldiers and civilians¹⁰. But the war in Ukraine is changing what Franke calls Germany's anti-military mentality¹¹.

FRANKE: We have these rather absurd discussions here in Berlin on, you know, we're only delivering defensive¹² weapons, not offensive ones, only light ones, not heavy ones, only older and not modern Western systems - these kind of, you know, made-up distinctions and definitions and so-called red lines that the government sets.

BEARDSLEY: All three countries' armored fighting vehicles were designed during the Cold War to defeat Soviet defensive positions and hold ground. Leonid Polyakov, a former deputy defense minister of Ukraine, says the West has evolved from giving Ukraine the weapons required not to lose to giving it the weapons it needs to win.

LEONID POLYAKOV: Our partners, they needed some time to come to terms what Ukraine can do, what Ukraine can muster¹³ and what Ukraine needs.

BEARDSLEY: Polyakov spent 20 years in the Soviet military. He says, with Ukraine showing it can beat an army that was not long ago considered the world's second most powerful, the West is shifting its priorities.

POLYAKOV: Major powers supporting Ukraine could have decided¹⁴ that it is in their interest to allow Ukraine to move faster because the longer war goes, the more weapons will be required. So maybe time is a factor now, not only unpredictability of Russia.

BEARDSLEY: Analysts¹⁵ say the decision to send armored fighting vehicles could hasten the sending of heavier main battle tanks needed to break through fortified¹⁶ Russian defenses and artillery¹⁷. Delivering them is something Ukraine's Western allies are already discussing.

FADEL: Eleanor, just one question before you go. What are those discussions now?

BEARDSLEY: Well, you know what, Leila? This week, Poland said it wants to give the Leopard¹⁸ 2 main battle tank to Ukraine. But they're German-designed, so Poland would need Germany's permission. But that could be coming because yesterday, Germany's vice¹⁹ chancellor²⁰ said Germany should not stand in the way of other countries taking decisions to support Ukraine. Analysts say Britain is also heavily considering sending its Challenger 2 tanks.

And the U.S. is said to be pushing Germany and Britain to approve and send these tanks to Ukraine as soon as possible. A decision on that could be announced as early as next week in a meeting of the contact group, which are Ukraine's allies. In the meantime, yesterday, France's defense minister said his country's armored fighting vehicles will be on the ground within two months, perhaps around the time of expected spring counteroffensives. So Ukraine's foreign minister said that sending these armored vehicles had broken a taboo²¹ on providing key weapons to Ukraine. And he might be right.

FADEL: NPR's Eleanor Beardsley, thanks for your reporting.

BEARDSLEY: Thank you.

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 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。

4 infantry   

n.[总称]步兵(部队)

参考例句：

• The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.步兵都装备有喷火器。
• We have less infantry than the enemy.我们的步兵比敌人少。

5 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

6 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。

7 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 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。

11 mentality   

n.心理，思想，脑力

参考例句：

• He has many years'experience of the criminal mentality.他研究犯罪心理有多年经验。
• Running a business requires a very different mentality from being a salaried employee.经营企业所要求具备的心态和上班族的心态截然不同。

12 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

13 muster   

v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册

参考例句：

• Go and muster all the men you can find.去集合所有你能找到的人。
• I had to muster my courage up to ask him that question.我必须鼓起勇气向他问那个问题。

14 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

15 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

16 fortified   

adj. 加强的

参考例句：

• He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
• The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。

17 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。

18 leopard   

n.豹

参考例句：

• I saw a man in a leopard skin yesterday.我昨天看见一个穿着豹皮的男人。
• The leopard's skin is marked with black spots.豹皮上有黑色斑点。

19 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

20 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。

21 taboo   

n.禁忌，禁止接近，禁止使用；adj.禁忌的；v.禁忌，禁制，禁止

参考例句：

• The rude words are taboo in ordinary conversation.这些粗野的字眼在日常谈话中是禁忌的。
• Is there a taboo against sex before marriage in your society?在你们的社会里，婚前的性行为犯禁吗？