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Day by day, Europeans pile consequences on Russia for invading Ukraine

Transcript¹

Germany announced a large increase in its defense² funding and signaled it will be sending arms to Ukraine. The European Union announced all Russian aircraft will be blocked from EU airspace.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

The Russian ruble plummeted³ today. It's at a record low, so low its value is said to be less than a penny. The drop is in response to Russia being cut off from the global bank payment system in retaliation⁴ for its invasion of Ukraine. And that's not the only consequence. The EU has imposed a blanket ban on Russian planes, and it's, for the first time, sending lethal⁵ weapons to Ukraine's military, ending a long-standing policy of not providing weapons to conflict regions. NPR's Rob Schmitz joins us from Berlin to walk us through all of this. Rob, let's start with the moves from the EU. Lay out exactly what - the actions it took.

ROB SCHMITZ, BYLINE⁶: Yeah. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a raft of new punitive⁷ measures. First off, as you mentioned, the EU has asked all its 27 members to close their airspace to Russian-owned, registered or controlled aircraft. This morning, departure boards at Moscow's airports showed dozens of canceled flights to cities across Europe. But that's just the start. Von der Leyen also announced the EU will, for the first time, finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and other equipment to a country under attack. This is a landmark⁸ move. These shipments, which will include fighter jets, will commence immediately to Ukraine's military. Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, had this to say about the bloc's about-face on this issue.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JOSEP BORRELL: Another taboo⁹ has fallen, the taboo that the European Union was not providing arms in a war. Yes, we are doing because this war requires our engagement in order to support the Ukrainian army.

SCHMITZ: And, A, the EU also banned the Russian state-backed media outlets¹⁰ RT, Sputnik and their subsidiaries to ban what von der Leyen called their toxic¹¹ and harmful disinformation. And finally, the EU plans to hit the regime of Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus with sweeping¹² new sanctions in return for allowing Putin to use his country as a staging site for the Russian invasion.

MARTINEZ: So some history from the EU - also in Germany, too. They've made a historic shift in their security policy. They announced a new massive investment into its own military. Tell us all about that.

SCHMITZ: Yeah, the Germany that's waking up today is not the same Germany as last week. Yesterday, in a speech to the Bundestag, Germany's parliament, Olaf Scholz did away with years of Merkel-era foreign security policy and announced the country would set up a special fund of a hundred billion euros to fund Germany's armed forces and, from now on, would spend at least 2% of its GDP on its military. When Scholz announced this, the Bundestag erupted in applause. This was a shocking about-face for a country that has, for years, been stubbornly reluctant to invest in its own military. Last year, Germany spent only 1.4% of its GDP on its defense. So this new commitment is a game changer for Europe and its security. Scholz defended the move by saying this.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CHANCELLOR¹³ OLAF SCHOLZ: (Non-English language spoken).

SCHMITZ: And, A, he's saying here that Putin wants to reestablish a Russian empire and fundamentally reorder Europe according to his own ideas by using military force. And that forces the question, what capabilities¹⁴ do we have to counter that threat? So this is a turning point in German history, and it was met with a gush¹⁵ of support from throughout Europe. In fact, right after Scholz announced this, more than a hundred thousand people poured into central Berlin in front the Brandenburg Gate to show their support for Ukraine.

MARTINEZ: That's Rob Schmitz joining us from Berlin. Rob, thanks.

SCHMITZ: Thank you.

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 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。

3 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

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 punitive   

adj.惩罚的，刑罚的

参考例句：

• They took punitive measures against the whole gang.他们对整帮人采取惩罚性措施。
• The punitive tariff was imposed to discourage tire imports from China.该惩罚性关税的征收是用以限制中国轮胎进口的措施。

8 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

9 taboo   

n.禁忌，禁止接近，禁止使用；adj.禁忌的；v.禁忌，禁制，禁止

参考例句：

• The rude words are taboo in ordinary conversation.这些粗野的字眼在日常谈话中是禁忌的。
• Is there a taboo against sex before marriage in your society?在你们的社会里，婚前的性行为犯禁吗？

10 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

12 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

13 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

14 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

15 gush   

v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发

参考例句：

• There was a gush of blood from the wound.血从伤口流出。
• There was a gush of blood as the arrow was pulled out from the arm.当从手臂上拔出箭来时，一股鲜血涌了出来。