VOA常速英语2021--俄罗斯雇佣兵开始在非洲国家马里部署（在线收听）

This is VOA News. Via remote, I'm Marissa Melton.

这里是美国之音新闻。我是玛丽莎·梅尔顿，为您远程报道。

More than a dozen Western powers on Thursday expressed anger that Russian mercenaries working for the controversial Wagner Group have started to deploy in Mali.

周四，十多个西方国家对俄罗斯雇佣军开始在马里部署表示愤怒，他们为有争议的瓦格纳集团工作。

Those powers accused Moscow of providing material backing for the fighters.

这些国家指控莫斯科为武装分子提供物资支持。

The powers involved in the fight against an insurgency in Mali, including Canada, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, said they, quote, "firmly condemn the deployment of mercenary troops on Malian territory."

加拿大、德国、法国和英国等参与打击马里叛乱的大国表示，他们“坚决谴责在马里领土上部署雇佣军的行为”。

It was one of the first official acknowledgements by Western capitals that the deployment of fighters has begun in Mali after months of warnings to the Bamako government.

这是西方政府在向巴马科政府发出数月警告后，首次正式承认已开始在马里部署战斗人员。

But the statement did not say that the presence of the Wagner Group in Mali would result in a pullout of foreign forces.

但声明中没有表示瓦格纳集团存在于马里会导致外国军队撤出。

During his annual end-of-the-year press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Washington's willingness to discuss Russia's security proposals to curb NATO's eastward expansion was positive amid Western fears over a major military escalation in Ukraine.

俄罗斯总统普京周四在一年一度的年底新闻发布会上说，在西方对乌克兰军事局势大幅升级感到担忧之际，华盛顿方面愿意商讨俄罗斯提出的遏制北约东扩的安全建议，这是积极的。

Russia last week presented the United States and NATO with draft proposals summarizing its demands in return for a deescalation of tensions over the ex-Soviet Ukraine.

俄罗斯上周向美国和北约提交了一份总结了俄方要求的提案草案，以换取与前苏联乌克兰紧张局势的缓和。

The documents said that NATO must not admit new members into the military alliance and called for no military bases to be established in ex-Soviet countries.

文件称，北约不得接纳新成员加入该军事联盟，并要求不在前苏联国家建立军事基地。

Putin told journalists during his four-hour press conference, quote, "The ball is in their court. They need to provide us with some answers."

普京在长达四个小时的新闻发布会上对记者说，“现在是该他们做决定的时候了。他们需要给我们一些答复。”

Russia's far-reaching demands were dismissed by several members of the U.S.-led alliance.

俄罗斯提出的过分要求遭到了以美国为首的几个成员国的拒绝。