VOA慢速英语--俄罗斯谴责美国新制裁属于非法行为

Russia Condemns¹ New US Sanctions as ‘Unlawful’

The Russian government has criticized the United States for ordering new sanctions against Russia.

The government said Thursday it has begun working on ways to answer the measures. U.S. officials say the order is meant to answer the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain.

The State Department announced the sanctions on Wednesday. The Reuters news agency said they would restrict sensitive national security controlled goods to Russia.

The announcement said that Russia had broken international law by using a deadly nerve agent against its own nationals.

Former Russian military intelligence official Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned in the English city of Salisbury in March. British officials said they found evidence the substance used in the attack was Novichok, a nerve gas developed in the Soviet² Union during the 1980s.

Both Skripal and his daughter survived the attack, but spent weeks recovering in the hospital. Britain, the United States and other nations have accused Russia of ordering the poisonings. The Russian government has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attack.

A Russian Foreign Ministry³ spokeswoman said Thursday the new sanctions represent a fresh attempt to “demonize Russia.” She added that “ultimatums against Russia are useless,” and noted⁵ the government is considering ways to answer the U.S. restrictions⁶.

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin called the measures “unfriendly” and “unlawful.” The spokesman said the decision goes against a “constructive⁷” process that began when Putin met with U.S. President Donald Trump⁸ in Helsinki last month.

Trump has repeatedly stated his desire to improve relations between the two countries. But he has faced criticism from U.S. lawmakers for not taking a stronger position against reported Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections.

In March, the United States joined European nations in expelling Russian diplomats⁹ to answer the poisonings. But U.S. officials had not yet confirmed the use of banned nerve agents in the attack.

This week, the State Department said Russia had “used chemical or biological weapons in violation¹⁰ of international law or has used lethal¹¹ chemical or biological weapons against its own nationals.”

British Prime Minister Theresa May welcomed the decision. In a statement, she said the U.S. action sends a clear message to Russia that its “reckless” behavior will not go unanswered.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

sanction – n. an order given to limit or stop trade under international law

demonize – v. try to make a person or group seem very bad

ultimatum⁴ – n. a statement that you will do something that will affect someone badly if they do not do what you want

constructive – adj. serving a helpful or useful purpose

alleged¹² – adj. said or thought by some people to be true, but without specific proof

lethal – adj. able to cause or causing death

reckless – adj. showing a lack of care about risks or danger

1 condemns   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的第三人称单数 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• Her widowhood condemns her to a lonely old age. 守寡使她不得不过着孤独的晚年生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The public opinion condemns prostitution. 公众舆论遣责卖淫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 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。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 ultimatum   

n.最后通牒

参考例句：

• This time the proposal was couched as an ultimatum.这一次该提议是以最后通牒的形式提出来的。
• The cabinet met today to discuss how to respond to the ultimatum.内阁今天开会商量如何应对这道最后通牒。

5 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。

6 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

7 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

8 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

9 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

11 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

12 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为