Russia's Putin accuses the U.S. of trying to drag him into war

Russia's Putin accuses the U.S. of trying to drag him into war

Transcript¹

Russian President Vladimir Putin has broken his silence on the Ukraine crisis, accusing the U.S. of trying to lay a trap for Russia. Diplomatic talks continue.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We got a glimpse yesterday of the world as it looks to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader spoke² in public for the first time in weeks. He was at a news conference in Moscow, and he offered his distinctive³ spin on more than 100,000 troops he has massed near Ukraine. Putin described an invasion of Ukraine not as something he has made extensive preparations to do, but as a trap that the United States wants to lure⁴ him into.

He speaks here through an interpreter.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN: (Through interpreter) Their main job is to deter⁵ the development of Russia, to hinder the development of Russia. And in this sense, Ukraine is just a tool. You can do it in various ways. You can drag us into some kind of military conflict, armed conflict, and by using their allies in Europe to impose these hard-line sanctions against us that the United States is talking about.

INSKEEP: The Russian leader also spoke of diplomatic solutions. Though he said, so far, the West is ignoring his real concerns. What's going on here? We begin in a place where people must listen especially closely - Kyiv, Ukraine - which is where we find NPR's Daniel Estrin.

Daniel, welcome.

DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE⁶: Thank you very much.

INSKEEP: How did Putin's words sound when you heard them in Kyiv?

ESTRIN: Well, I saw a dartboard here with Putin's face on it yesterday, so that gives you a sense...

INSKEEP: Oh.

ESTRIN: ...Of what Ukrainians think of him. I asked one what he thought of Putin's words. And he told me, well, what Putin says doesn't really matter; we all know what he wants. And Putin said - repeated his positions yesterday. NATO's expansion to Eastern Europe is a threat. Putin repeated his demand that Ukraine never be allowed into NATO. And he laid out a new argument, which was that if Ukraine tries to recapture Crimea from Russia, then Russia might have to go to war with all of NATO. He accused the U.S. of wagging the dog.

INSKEEP: I guess we should remind people that Ukraine is not currently scheduled to go into NATO. The U.S. years ago said that they would like that. But NATO has made no move to admit them...

ESTRIN: That's right.

INSKEEP: ...For more than a decade. Now, there is a NATO leader - a NATO nation leader - who was in Ukraine - U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson. What did he have to say?

ESTRIN: He said this is the biggest show of hostility⁷ that Ukraine has faced in our lifetime. He said the 100,000 troops that Russia has on Ukraine's borders are far more than the 30,000 troops that captured Crimea in 2014. And he threatened sanctions the moment the first Russian soldier steps foot further into Ukraine.

INSKEEP: OK. So NATO is saying that. What kind of diplomacy⁸ is going on this week?

ESTRIN: Well, the bottom line is that diplomacy is continuing. There's a back and forth⁹ of proposals. The U.S. has delivered a written response to Russia's security demands. And now the Russians are preparing a formal response to the U.S. So Putin says he's continuing talks. He still wants dialogue.

INSKEEP: OK. We'll keep listening. NPR's Daniel Estrin in Kyiv - thank you so much.

ESTRIN: You're welcome.

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 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。

3 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

4 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

5 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

8 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。

9 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。