Biden and major allies are meeting about Russia's war in Ukraine

Biden and major allies are meeting about Russia's war in Ukraine

　　Transcript¹

　　President Biden met with NATO and G-7 allies on Thursday in a emergency sessions about Russia's brutal² war against Ukraine as the conflict reached the one-month mark.

　　The 30-member NATO alliance gathered at its Brussels headquarters to talk about plans to bolster³ troop rotations⁴ in countries along the southern portion of its eastern flank — and contingency⁵ plans in case Russian aggression⁶ intensifies⁷.

　　"We are determined⁸ to continue to impose costs on Russia to bring about the end of this brutal war," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said as the meeting began, paying tribute to "the great courage of the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian armed forces fighting for their freedom and their rights."

　　NATO allies have stayed remarkably⁹ united thus far in their response to Russia's invasion of its neighbor. Biden's mission ahead of the meeting was "to ensure we stay united, to cement our collective resolve, to send a powerful message that we are prepared and committed to this for as long as it takes," his national security adviser¹⁰, Jake Sullivan, said.

　　Biden opens door to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees

　　More than 3.5 million Ukrainians have fled the fighting in their country. American officials believe most will want to stay in Europe so they can return to Ukraine when it's safe. But the United States will welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians and other displaced people fleeing the conflict, a senior administration official said.

　　The news was welcomed by a major refugee resettlement organization. Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president of the Lutheran Immigration Refugee Services, called it "a concrete display of global humanitarian¹¹ leadership." But she had questions about how it will happen. "Will the administration surge staff and resources to address backlogs¹² that have plagued our immigration system for years? Will it use humanitarian parole authority to move Ukrainians to safety quicker? And if so, to what extent?" she told NPR.

　　Biden is also announcing $1 billion in new funding for humanitarian aid for Ukrainians and refugees in neighboring countries.

　　Other U.S. humanitarian announcements today include:

　　$11 billion for global food security since Ukraine's wheat production will be cut because of the war, posing a threat to countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa particularly

　　$320 million to a European democracy resiliency program, including efforts to document and preserve evidence of potential war crimes in the Ukraine conflict, and to help countries such as Moldova

　　On Friday, Biden will travel to Warsaw and meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda. In Poland, he will visit U.S. troops stationed there, and talk to humanitarian experts, the White House has said.

　　The West plans to crack down on sales of Russian gold

　　The U.S. and other major economies have frozen reserves held by Russia's central bank. But they're worried about potential sales of gold reserves to prop¹³ up the value of Russia's currency. Russia's central bank had about 20% of its reserves in gold ahead of its invasion of Ukraine, the official said.

　　So on Thursday, the G-7 countries and the European Union explicitly¹⁴ blocked these sales.

　　The United States also announced new sanctions on more than 300 members of the Russian Duma, more than 40 Russian defense¹⁵ companies, and on a handful of Russian elites¹⁶. Some of these sanctions are aligning¹⁷ the U.S. with moves already taken by its allies.

　　Zelenskyy asked for more military equipment

　　Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy spoke¹⁸ to NATO leaders via video from Ukraine at the beginning of their meeting, and later spoke to a separate meeting of the G-7.

　　At NATO, Zelenskky repeated requests for continued and increased security assistance from the West — but did not ask for a no-fly zone or NATO membership during his remarks, an official told reporters.

　　Several NATO members made pledges of support to increase their security assistance for Ukraine in the early part of the meeting, the official said.

　　Biden has begun consultations¹⁹ with allies on supplying anti-ship missiles to Ukraine, the official said — a move that would come with "technical challenges" but the United States and allies are trying to work those out.

　　NATO is bolstering²⁰ forces, and planning in case Russia uses chemical weapons

　　Allies closest to Russia — including Romania and the three Baltic states — have pressed NATO and the United States to boost troops in their countries. Some of the biggest decisions on this will come at a planned meeting in Madrid in June.

　　On Thursday, there was some discussion about the need for NATO to be ready to deal with the potential use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia, an official told reporters. The United States is already taking steps to enhance its readiness and ability to respond to any such incidents, and to work with NATO and a task force it has to deal with these kinds of attacks.

　　Other allies are also making efforts to help Ukraine be able to identify and respond to this type of threat, the official said.

　　There's a lot of symbolism in this moment

　　As leaders gathered for the traditional group photograph, Biden was seen speaking with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

　　Seeing Western leaders standing²¹ side-by-side will send a powerful message to Europeans alarmed at Russia's attack on Ukraine — and a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the strength of the NATO alliance, said Jim Townsend, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy.

　　"That family photo is going to show everyone that these guys are unified," said Townsend, now at the Center for a New American Security think-tank. "That family photo is one of the most important deliverables coming out of the meeting at NATO."

　　NPR's Franco Ordo?ez contributed to this report.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

3 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

4 rotations   

旋转( rotation的名词复数 )； 转动； 轮流； 轮换

参考例句：

• Farmers traditionally used long-term rotations of hay, pasture, and corn. 农民以往长期实行干草、牧草和玉米轮作。
• The crankshaft makes three rotations for each rotation of the rotor. 转子每转一周，曲轴转3周。

5 contingency   

n.意外事件，可能性

参考例句：

• We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
• A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。

6 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

7 intensifies   

n.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的名词复数 )v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A clear atmosphere intensifies the blue of the sky. 纯净的空气使天空变得更蓝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Blowing on fire intensifies the heat. 吹火使热度加强。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

9 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

10 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

11 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

12 backlogs   

积压未办之事( backlog的名词复数 )； 没交付的订货； 备用； 备用物

参考例句：

• "You'll need kindling and medium wood and logs and backlogs. “点火柴、引火柴、原木、垫底的，你都用得着。” 来自名作英译部分
• Our manufacturers have heavy backlogs on their hands. 我们的生产厂商手头有许多积压而没有交付的订单。

13 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

14 explicitly   

ad.明确地，显然地

参考例句：

• The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. 该计划没有明确地支持土地私有制。
• SARA amended section 113 to provide explicitly for a right to contribution. 《最高基金修正与再授权法案》修正了第123条，清楚地规定了分配权。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

15 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。

16 elites   

精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物

参考例句：

• The elites are by their nature a factor contributing to underdevelopment. 这些上层人物天生是助长欠发达的因素。
• Elites always detest gifted and nimble outsiders. 社会名流对天赋聪明、多才多艺的局外人一向嫌恶。

17 aligning   

n. (直线)对准 动词align的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• There are signs that the prime minister is aligning himself with the liberals. 有迹象表明首相正在与自由党人结盟。
• ToolTips provide textual hints that assist in drawing lines and aligning objects. 工具提示提供了协助画线和对象对齐的文本提示。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

18 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。

19 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

20 bolstering   

v.支持( bolster的现在分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助

参考例句：

• Why should Donahue's people concern themselves with bolstering your image? 唐纳休的人为什么要费心维护你的形象？ 来自辞典例句
• He needed bolstering and support. 他需要别人助他一臂之力。 来自辞典例句

21 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。