VOA慢速英语--普京会见金正日，敦促国际核努力

Putin Meets Kim, Urges International Nuclear Efforts

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Thursday in their first-ever face-to-face meeting.

The two men met for nearly two hours on an island off the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok. After the talks, Putin described Kim as “quite open” and “thoughtful.”

The Russian leader said his country, just like the United States, supports the goal of removing nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula.

Putin said Kim confirmed his willingness to give up North Korea’s nuclear arms, but only if he first receives strong security guarantees. He added that such guarantees would require the agreement and support of other countries.

Such an effort would likely involve the six nations that took part in international talks on the denuclearization issue over the years. The six are North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

Kim has held two face-to-face meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump¹. But the last Trump-Kim meeting ended with no agreements announced.

North Korea has sought immediate² U.S. easing of economic restrictions³ on the country. Trump has said he is seeking a “big deal” in which North Korea would give up all its nuclear activities in exchange for normalized relations with the U.S.

Putin told reporters after the meeting Thursday that North Korea is seeking to receive “international guarantees” of its security and sovereignty.

“That’s it. All of us together need to think about this,” the Russian leader said. He added: “It’s unlikely that any agreements between two countries will be enough.”

The North Korean leader did not speak to reporters after the meeting. Earlier, Kim said he planned to share his ideas on the current political situation on the Korean Peninsula. He said the situation had “garnered the urgent attention of the world.”

Kim told Russian state television he hoped his visit would be “successful and useful” to help strengthen ties. He also spoke⁵ about his father’s “great love for Russia.” During his rule, Kim Jong Il made three trips to Russia, the last one in 2011.

In addition to his meetings with Trump and Putin, Kim has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping four times. He also held three meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Putin’s meeting with Kim came a day before he goes to Beijing for a two-day visit. “I will talk about it tomorrow (on Friday) with the leadership of China,” the Russian leader said.

Putin added: “And we will just as openly discuss this issue with the U.S. leadership. There are no secrets. Russia’s position always has been transparent⁶. There are no plots of any kind.”

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

sovereignty – n. a country's independent power and the right to govern itself?

garner⁴ – v. to get or earn something valuable or respected

transparent – adj. in the open, not hidden

1 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。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 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

4 garner   

v.收藏；取得

参考例句：

• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals.他的提议得到了广泛的支持。
• Squirrels garner nuts for the winter.松鼠为过冬储存松果。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。