美国有线新闻 CNN 2014-03-07(在线收听) |
Things are changing rapidly in Ukraine. Yesterday more Russian troops reportedly entered Crimea to southern region of Ukraine with a lot of support from Russian. A Crimean official said things there were quiet last night. There were no signs of fighting. Ukraine's ousted President Viktor Yanukovich said he asked Russia to send in its military to establish peace and to defend the people of Ukraine. The United States is considering sanctions, economic punishments against Russia. It says Russia broke international law by sending troops to Ukraine. It's also offering money to support Ukraine's new government. Some of the ripple effects: Russia's stock market was down. Europes were down. Americas was down. Coal, wheat and oil prices were up. Ukraine's top grain producer for Europe saw a conflict there could disrupt that, and Russia supplies about 25% of Europe's natural gas. Much of that flows through pipe lines in Ukraine. It shows you how the global economy is connected and affected by events in a nation. It's about the size of Texas. There've been a lot of questions about Russia's interests in Ukraine as well as the West interests, so we can look at the map or we get a much better sense. First of all, overmind here, Ukraine is in Europe. It's not a million miles away. The capital is just a few hundred miles from cities that America strives to all the time, Rome, Paris, London, and look here on its western border. Four key American airlines, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, all members of NATO and under NATO, the US has an obligation, a treaty obligation to defend them if they come under threat. Now Ukraine, not a member of NATO, but in recent years, has been a lot talked about, bringing them into a close relationship. Let's get a better sense now of Russia's interests there. You look at Crimea on the tip of that peninsula. The ? pull military naval base. This is the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea. ? is the only warm water pull of the pulls of northern froze in winter access to the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, the Atlantic is central for Russia, and that's the first place that many of those 6,000 and even more Russia troops win when they cross the border from Russia. In the Crimea, a reminder sovereign Ukraine territory. But let's look inside the country as well because it's a real split between east and west there. Western part of the country here leans towards Europe. Only 5% of the population in east parts speak Russian as they ?. Eastern part of the country, 75% here. They speak Russian. Their athletes they feel the pulls towards Russia. This part of the country feels the pull towards the western Europe.
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