Russian President Vladimir Putin asserts that sanctions have failed

Russian President Vladimir Putin asserts that sanctions have failed

Transcript¹

More than a month into sanctions against Russia for its war in Ukraine, we look at whether and how Russians are feeling the impact.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Russia's president is answering Western sanctions by saying they failed. Vladimir Putin made that case in numerous speeches. He spoke² after the U.S., the European Union, the U.K., Japan and some other nations, which represent a giant share of the world economy, closed off much business with Russia. So what's Putin's case? NPR's Charles Maynes is in Moscow.

Hey there, Charles.

CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE³: Hi there.

INSKEEP: What do the sanctions feel like where you are?

MAYNES: You know, it's been quite a ride. When sanctions kicked in, the currency, the ruble, cratered⁴. That sent people scrambling⁵ for dollars and euros. Then we saw a run on goods, mainly out of a fear of inflation or that items might disappear. You know, and some of them you might expect, like iPhones. Others were more surprising, like sugar. But these days, most items are back on the shelves. Only prices are way up. And, of course, there's also been this exodus⁶ of foreign companies from Russia. So that's meant a lot of shuttered storefronts.

But all that said, the ruble - it's back, you know, almost to where it was before the conflict began. And now, that's thanks to government efforts to prop⁷ it up artificially and, of course, money pouring in from Russian energy exports, which are huge. But all this has created this kind of weird⁸ sense of normalcy here, although I really hesitate to use that word, given the conflict.

INSKEEP: Has Putin played up that sense that there's nothing to see here?

MAYNES: Yeah. You know, in this week in multiple settings, he was defiant⁹ and made the case that what he called the blitzkrieg of sanctions had failed. You know, Putin's basic message was they present Russia with opportunities to become more self-reliant and to build new partnerships¹⁰.

Let's listen in.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN: (Speaking Russian).

MAYNES: So Putin here is saying that economies always adapt. And if you can find something in one country, well, you go to another, and it's unavoidable. And so Putin's idea is that what Russia can no longer get from the West, it can now get from China or India and that what Russia currently sells to the West, you know, mainly gas and oil, it can provide to new, friendlier markets, if it comes to that.

INSKEEP: Well, can Russia pivot¹¹ its whole economy to places like China and India then?

MAYNES: Well, experts aren't as optimistic. They say these sanctions will be devastating¹², and it's just too early to see. At least that's the view of Natalya Zubarevich. She's a specialist on Russia's regional development with Moscow State University.

NATALIA ZUBAREVICH: (Speaking Russian).

MAYNES: So Zubarevich calls these sanctions a genuine shock to the Russian economy. But she says, "we'll only feel the real impact starting in May or June, when," she says, "production lines will break down." Now, she argues the reason for that is imported parts. Most of what's made in Russia comes from at least some component¹³ made in the West, often specialized¹⁴ and high-tech¹⁵, which China can't provide, at least not right away. "And so without these parts, work will just stop," she says, "in car factories, in offshore¹⁶ drilling for gas and airplane manufacturing and so on." And, of course, all this impacts people's lives.

INSKEEP: Well, let's talk about the people. To the extent that you can tell, what are ordinary Russians thinking about sanctions?

MAYNES: Well, we sort of know. Polls will tell you that a vast majority of Russians, over 80%, support Putin's policies in Ukraine, although most only have access to state media. That's important 'cause that media presents the view that these sanctions are the West trying to keep Russia down. You know, in conversations I have, at least, I also hear another view. People say this will all be over soon. You know, give it a few months, and everything will go back to normal. How realistic that is is questionable¹⁷. But it's a view the Kremlin can certainly live with, at least for now.

INSKEEP: NPR's Charles Maynes is in Moscow. Thanks.

MAYNES: 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 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 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。

4 cratered   

adj.有坑洞的，多坑的v.火山口( crater的过去分词 )；弹坑等

参考例句：

• The surface cratered with the constant dropping of water. 表面因经常滴水而成坑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Artillery cratered the roads. 炮击后大路布满了弹坑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

7 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。

8 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

9 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

10 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

11 pivot   

v.在枢轴上转动；装枢轴，枢轴；adj.枢轴的

参考例句：

• She is the central pivot of creation and represents the feminine aspect in all things.她是创造的中心枢轴，表现出万物的女性面貌。
• If a spring is present,the hand wheel will pivot on the spring.如果有弹簧，手轮的枢轴会装在弹簧上。

12 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

13 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

14 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

15 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

16 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

17 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。