Nations set new sanctions against Russia after civilian atrocities in Ukraine

Nations set new sanctions against Russia after civilian¹ atrocities² in Ukraine

Transcript³

The U.S., the European Union and other partners are announcing new sanctions against Russia in response to the civilian deaths revealed in Ukraine this week.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The United States is putting additional sanctions on Russia, including the children of Russian President Vladimir Putin. This latest move follows revelations of deadly atrocities against civilians⁴ in the Ukrainian city of Bucha. NPR's Asma Khalid is covering the story and joins us now. Good morning, Asma.

ASMA KHALID, BYLINE⁵: Good morning, Leila.

FADEL: So why are these added sanctions now?

KHALID: You know, you mentioned Bucha, and this comes after just the gruesome reports that many of us saw in the past couple of days. The president himself described the situation earlier this week as a war crime, and he called for a trial to take place against Vladimir Putin. The Biden administration has viewed sanctions, I will say, you know, as a tool that they can escalate⁶ or de-escalate to put pressure on the Russian government as needed. And they point to expectations that inflation could reach 20%. So they feel like this is, you know, hurting the Russian economy. But the thing is, you know, to date, sanctions, even as done today in coordination⁷ with the European Union and G-7 allies, have not actually stopped the war or the killing⁸. And yesterday, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, spoke⁹ to the U.N. Security Council, showing them images of dead bodies and challenging them all to do more.

FADEL: So what exactly are the new sanctions?

KHALID: Well, President Biden will be signing an executive order banning any new investment by Americans in Russia. But what I found most interesting in the package that the U.S. government rolled out today is that Putin's two adult daughters will be sanctioned, as well as members of Sergey Lavrov's family. He's Russia's foreign minister. There are also going to be additional sanctions on Russia's largest financial institution, Sberbank, and its largest private bank, Alfa-Bank. These are full-blocking sanctions that affect any assets that touch the U.S. financial system, no matter what currency that they're in. Russia will also be prohibited from making any debt payments with funds under U.S. jurisdiction¹⁰, which could force Russia into default.

In total, a senior administration official told reporters this morning that they've now blocked about two-thirds of Russia's banking¹¹ system. But there is still, however, a carveout in all of this for energy. And I should note, you know, there has been a lot of pressure, especially on European powers that rely on Russian energy, to cut off Russian oil, which is a major economic lifeline for Putin in the face of, you know, some of these atrocities we've seen. But to date, the Europeans have not done that.

FADEL: OK. So if these new sanctions are not going to stop the bloodshed, which are continuing - which is continuing in other parts of Ukraine, what is the Biden administration's goal here with this economic pain?

KHALID: You know, Leila, I think that is a really important question. Before the war began, officials within the U.S. - Biden administration suggested that sanctions would be a deterrent¹². But as the violence has dragged on, the tone has changed. You know, today even, a senior administration official told reporters, when we asked about sanctions being effective at stopping the war, that sanctions alone, he said, are never a stand-alone solution. Just this week, the U.S. announced an additional $100 million in defense¹³ aid to Ukraine.

But I will say there is still, I think, a very interesting question about whether the economic pain ordinary Russians will feel in the long run as a result of these sanctions might have unintended, detrimental¹⁴ consequences. On a briefing call with reporters this morning, the White House basically didn't have a clear answer to this question. They insist that sanctions can be turned up, turned down depending on Putin's behavior. But officials say that the sanctions currently in place are projected to wipe out the last 15 years of economic gains in Russia. So there will undoubtedly¹⁵ be pain that ordinary Russians are feeling that will be impossible to revert¹⁶ instantaneously whenever this war ends and whenever sanctions possibly come to an end.

FADEL: NPR White House correspondent Asma Khalid, thank you.

KHALID: My pleasure.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 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。

4 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

5 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。

6 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

7 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

8 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

9 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。

10 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

11 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

12 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

13 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。

14 detrimental   

adj.损害的，造成伤害的

参考例句：

• We know that heat treatment is detrimental to milk.我们知道加热对牛奶是不利的。
• He wouldn't accept that smoking was detrimental to health.他不相信吸烟有害健康。

15 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

16 revert   

v.恢复，复归，回到

参考例句：

• Let us revert to the earlier part of the chapter.让我们回到本章的前面部分。
• Shall we revert to the matter we talked about yesterday?我们接着昨天谈过的问题谈，好吗？