波罗申科:俄罗斯入侵乌克兰的威胁仍然存在

AS IT IS 2015-08-26 Poroshenko: Russia Threatening Ukraine’s Independence 波罗申科:俄罗斯入侵乌克兰的威胁仍然存在

Ukraine celebrated¹ its Independence Day earlier this week. The holiday marked an event that signaled the collapse² of the Soviet³ Union, and it still colors Russia's thinking about Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was in Kyiv for Independence Day celebrations on Monday. He told a crowd that the next year would be one of struggle against Russia's efforts to weaken Ukraine.

The president accused Russia of sending more troops and weapons across the border between the two countries.

"We have to understand that any wrong step could be the last," he said. "The war for independence is still going on and victory is possible only through combined efforts of defense⁴, diplomatic pressure and political responsibility."

The Russian government denies giving military support for pro-Russia rebels in Ukraine's east. However, increasing evidence conflicts with the government’s claims.

President Poroshenko said Ukraine's fight for independence would continue for many years.

Dmitri Trenin is director of the Carnegie Moscow Center.

“To a lot of people in Ukraine, what's happening is a rebellion which is backed by Russia. And, in that sense, Poroshenko is fighting for ... complete independence from Russia.”

Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union on August 24, 1991. A few months later, Ukrainians voted to support the declaration in a special referendum. The Soviet Union officially broke up at the end of 1991.

But Dmitri Trenin says it was only in the late 1990s that the Russian people and government accepted the idea of Ukraine as an independent state.

“The Ukrainian referendum back in 1991 essentially⁵ nixed all remaining illusions about preserving some kind of a union, close union, of former Soviet republics. And, it basically told the Russians that from now on they have to be on their own.”

He says Russia's takeover of Crimea last year was a move the government had planned to make for a long time, if it found itself losing influence in Ukraine to the West.

The government strongly opposed the popular rebellion in Ukraine last year. The rebellion led to the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych.

Russian nationalists have used the unrest to question Ukraine's standing⁶ as an independent nation. But rebel-controlled areas along the border with Russia have largely rejected movements like “Russia World” and “New Russia.”

Clashes between the rebels and Ukrainian forces have killed more than 6,500 people since fighting began in April 2014. The unrest in Ukraine's east began just weeks after Russia seized Crimea.

The leaders of France, Germany, and Ukraine met in Berlin Monday to discuss efforts to deal with in the recent fighting.

Mr. Poroshenko said they need to guarantee that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe can send observers along the Russian border. Russia and the rebels currently limit OSCE access to just part of the border.

German Chancellor⁷ Angela Merkel noted⁸ the need to support a ceasefire agreement reached earlier this year in Minsk.

She said, "We are here to implement⁹ the Minsk deal, and not to call it into question."

The talks were expected to lead to a four-party meeting that would include Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Words in This Story

signaled – v. to make a sign of; to show the existence of something

referendum – n. a special election or vote on a given issue

nixed – v. to refuse or reject

illusions - n. dreams; something that seems different from what it is

implement – v. to carry out; to begin to use; to perform

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

3 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。

4 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。

5 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 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。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。