2006年VOA标准英语-Putin Calls for Talks With US on New Disarmamen

By Lisa McAdams
Moscow
27 June 2006
 

Vladimir Putin delivers a speech in Moscow, June 27, 2006  
  
Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling for new talks with the United States on key weapons reductions issues, three years before the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is due to expire.

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President Putin has proposed launching new talks to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, as a 2009 expiration¹ deadline nears.

The treaty signed by the United States and then Soviet² Union in 1991 requires both sides to significantly reduce their strategic nuclear arsenals³.

Mr. Putin expressed concerns that disarmament efforts have, in his words, effectively stagnated⁴. Through no fault of Russia's, he adds. He urged the United States to return to the negotiating table.

His comments were carried during a rare television broadcast of President Putin addressing Russian diplomats⁵. He laid out a vision of a foreign policy based on, what he called, equal footing and universal principles of international law.

The Russian president said he is convinced that dialogue, not isolation⁶ of one state or another, is what resolves crises like that now playing out in the West over Iran's nuclear program.

A key economic ally of Iran, Russia has resisted Western pressure to back U.N. sanctions against Tehran if it does not reveal the full nature of its nuclear program and guarantee to halt controversial uranium enrichment. Washington fears Tehran could use such enrichment to build a nuclear weapon.

President Putin told the diplomats that ultimatums⁷ only serve to push situations to a dead-end.

He also urged the diplomats to keep the Middle East and the whole of the Asia-Pacific region within their sights.

The Russian leader is urging a foreign policy of equality and mutual⁸ respect with the United States. Several times during the past few years, President Putin has suggested that Russia is often lectured to by the West, rather than respected or heard.

That frustration⁹ was again evident when the president sought to downplay recent criticism over Russia's decision to switch to market-based settlements for gas with its neighbors, like Ukraine.

Mr. Putin says the criticism is politically motivated and based on, as he put it, outdated¹⁰ perceptions and prejudices of Russia. Not everyone is ready for Russia to restore its economic health so quickly, he adds.

The president addressed the diplomatic corps¹¹ a little more than two weeks to go before the upcoming G-8 Summit in St. Petersburg, which Russia is hosting for the first time

1 expiration   

n.终结，期满，呼气，呼出物

参考例句：

• Can I have your credit card number followed by the expiration date?能告诉我你的信用卡号码和它的到期日吗?
• This contract shall be terminated on the expiration date.劳动合同期满，即行终止。

2 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

3 arsenals   

n.兵工厂，军火库( arsenal的名词复数 )；任何事物的集成

参考例句：

• We possess-each of us-nuclear arsenals capable of annihilating humanity. 我们两国都拥有能够毁灭全人类的核武库。 来自辞典例句
• Arsenals are factories that produce weapons. 军工厂是生产武器的工厂。 来自互联网

4 stagnated   

v.停滞，不流动，不发展( stagnate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句
• His mind has stagnated since his retirement. 他退休后头脑迟钝了。 来自辞典例句

5 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

7 ultimatums   

最后通牒( ultimatum的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Environmental groups in Nevada and the Midwest have issued similar ultimatums. 内华达和中西部的环保团体也发布了类似的最后通牒。
• A proactive teacher doesn't deliver ultimatums. [先发制人式]师并不下最后通牒。

8 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

9 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

10 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

11 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。