VOA标准英语2014--Obama to Reassure Europe as Ukraine Crisis Deepens

 

Obama to Reassure¹ Europe as Ukraine Crisis Deepens 

WHITE HOUSE — As Russia consolidates² its power over the Crimean region of Ukraine, President Barack Obama is heading to Europe for talks with allies in a bid to pressure Moscow.

That Russia has succeeded in taking over Crimea appears for some to be a foregone conclusion, but Obama is not giving up efforts to end the crisis through sanctions and diplomacy³.

“Diplomacy between the United States and Russia continues," the president said.  "We've emphasized that Russia still has a different path available - one that de-escalates the situation, and one that involves Russia pursuing a diplomatic solution with the government in Kyiv, with the support of the international community."

The president will talk with his partners about an economic package for Ukraine, but also about further sanctions against Russia.  First stop is The Hague.  

Unlike previous G8 meetings, absent from the table this time will be Russia.  President Obama has invited his G7 counterparts to meet on the sidelines of a Nuclear Security Summit to talk about isolating⁴ Moscow.

In that effort, Obama has an unlikely ally - China, which has questioned Russia's actions in Crimea.  The U.S. president and China's leader Xi Jinping have a meeting scheduled.

And then it's on to the EU and NATO in Brussels.  With no progress visible thus far in U.S. efforts to get Russia to back down, Obama will have a message to deliver to NATO allies.  

"America's support for our NATO allies is unwavering," the president said. "We're bound together by our profound Article 5 commitment to defend one another and by a set of shared values that so many generations sacrificed for."

The president's last stop in Europe will be in Rome, for a first-time meeting with Pope Francis to talk about fighting poverty and inequality.

 

From there, to Saudi Arabia.  The war in Syria and Iran's nuclear ambitions are expected to be on the agenda when Obama sits with King Abdullah in what analysts⁵ say will be a continuation of U.S. officials' efforts to reaffirm their support for the kingdom.

1 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

2 consolidates   

巩固

参考例句：

• We've made a good start, now it's time to consolidate. 我们有了一个良好的开端，现在应该加以巩固。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Yuan Shih-k'ai, a would-be Oriental Bonaparte, now attempted to consolidate his power. 当时，一度可能成为东方波拿巴的袁世凯试图巩固他的权力。 来自英汉非文学 - 新闻报道

3 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

4 isolating   

adj.孤立的，绝缘的v.使隔离( isolate的现在分词 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析

参考例句：

• Colour filters are not very effective in isolating narrow spectral bands. 一些滤色片不能很有效地分离狭窄的光谱带。 来自辞典例句
• This became known as the streak method for isolating bacteria. 这个方法以后就称为分离细菌的划线法。 来自辞典例句

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。