VOA常速英语2008年-Putin Speech Mixes Cooperation with Missile Thr

By Peter Fedynsky
Moscow
14 February 2008

President Vladimir Putin says Russia has common peaceful interests with the United States and Europe, but will be forced to target missiles against neighbors if threatened by NATO expansion.  The Russian leader expressed these and other views of Russian foreign and domestic affairs during his annual Kremlin news conference, which lasted four hours and 40 minutes.  VOA Moscow Correspondent Peter Fedynsky reports.

President Putin fielded numerous questions from foreign journalists seeking assurance that Russia will not threaten the economic, energy, or military security of their nations. 

Mr. Putin replied that his country seeks only cooperation and reiterated¹ concern about NATO plans to deploy² a missile defense³ system in Central Europe, and also about Ukraine's possible membership in the alliance, which he says could theoretically lead to missile bases in that country.

"We would probably be forced," says Mr. Putin, "to aim our missiles on those targets, which threaten us.  We are not the ones who create such targets, but we are warning in advance that if you take such a step, we will be forced to respond."

The Russian leader first indicated the possibility of targeting Ukraine on Tuesday, during a Kremlin news conference with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko. 

U.S. Secretary of State Rice called the Putin statement "unhelpful and really reprehensible⁴."  The Kremlin views a U.S. plan to deploy a Central European missile defense system against Iran as a destabilizing threat to Russian security.

Asked about his preference for the next U.S. president, Mr. Putin said the choice is up to the American people.  He noted⁵ that fundamental interests will inevitably⁶ prompt new leaders in Russia and the United States to work together on common problems.

Mr. Putin says without U.S.-Russian cooperation, neither nation will be able to effectively resolve such problems as global terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, poverty, and infectious disease.

Referring to the expected independence of Kosovo, the Kremlin leader said Russia would not, as he put it, ape European recognition the Serbian province by recognizing similar claims of pro-Russian areas of the former Soviet⁷ Union such as Abkhazia, South Ossetia or Trans-Dnistria.   But he noted Kosovo recognition would be taken as a signal, and Russia has a plan of action, which he did not specify⁸. 

Mr. Putin admitted that citizen awareness⁹ of the law in Russia is low, and blamed the government for failing to devote adequate attention to legal education, which he said should begin in kindergarten.  He noted that the president himself is obligated to respect the law. 

Mr. Putin said he did not seek to remain as president, because the constitution prohibits three consecutive¹⁰ terms in office.  He added that he is also not addicted¹¹ to power and will have plenty to do should he become the prime minister of Russia.  His apparent successor, Dmitri Medvedev, has indicated he would nominate Mr. Putin as head of government.

Russia holds a presidential election on March 2 and the new president will take office in May.

1 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

2 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

3 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。

4 reprehensible   

adj.该受责备的

参考例句：

• Lying is not seen as being morally reprehensible in any strong way.人们并不把撒谎当作一件应该大加谴责的事儿。
• It was reprehensible of him to be so disloyal.他如此不忠，应受谴责。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

7 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。

8 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。

9 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

10 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

11 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。