VOA常速英语2008年-Bush, Putin Look Back US-Russian Relations

By Peter Fedynsky
Sochi
06 April 2008

During a joint¹ news conference in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Presidents George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin spoke² with a bit of nostalgia³ as they looked back at their stewardship⁴ of U.S.-Russian relations during the past seven years. VOA Correspondent Peter Fedynsky has this report from Sochi.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he enjoyed his meetings with the American president since they first met in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2001. The Russian leader characterized their personal ties as open and sincere, saying they allowed for direct discussion of international and bilateral⁵ issues.

Over all, says Mr. Putin, cooperation in the struggle against international terrorism, against proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missile technology, international corruption⁶ and drug trafficking form a promising⁷ basis not only for bilateral relations, but is also an important factor of international security.

Mr. Putin agrees with President Bush who said that despite disagreements, neither side views the other as an enemy. The American leader said both men spent a lot of time in their relationship trying to get rid of the Cold War.

"It is over. It ended. And the fundamental question in this relationship is could we work together to put the Cold War in the past? And I fully⁸ recognize that people in Russia and America still think the Cold War exists," said Mr. Bush.

Mr. Putin said both leaders were able to conduct relations without allowing disagreements on any given issue to damage the overall relationship. The most difficult issues on their agenda remain NATO expansion and the deployment⁹ of missile defense¹⁰ system in Central Europe. But they agree on Russian entry into the World Trade Organization.

In this connection, says the Kremlin leader, we are counting on the United States to lift the Jackson-Vanik amendment¹¹ and also to grant Russia normalized trade relations. Mr. Bush called for the U.S. Congress to lift the Soviet-era amendment, which tied trade with Moscow to its human-rights record.

Following his meeting in Sochi with Russian president-elect Dmitri Medvedev, Mr. Bush was asked whether he was able to judge his soul as he did Mr. Putin's after their first meeting 22 summits ago in Ljubljana. Mr. Bush said that Dmitri Medvedev seems forthright¹², but is not yet president.

"He is taking his time, he is studying, he is preparing to assume office, but he is not going to act like a president, nor assume presidential duties until he gets to be the president," said Mr. Bush. "So you can write down, 'I was impressed."'

Mr. Bush said he is looking forward to working with Mr. Medvedev after President Putin leaves office on May 7. A new U.S. leader will assume the White House on January 20.

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

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 nostalgia   

n.怀乡病，留恋过去，怀旧

参考例句：

• He might be influenced by nostalgia for his happy youth.也许是对年轻时幸福时光的怀恋影响了他。
• I was filled with nostalgia by hearing my favourite old song.我听到这首喜爱的旧歌，心中充满了怀旧之情。

4 stewardship   

n. n. 管理工作；管事人的职位及职责

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Last, but certainly not least, are the issues of stewardship and ethics. 最后，但当然不是微不足道的，是工作和道德规范的问题。

5 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

10 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。

11 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

12 forthright   

adj.直率的，直截了当的 [同]frank

参考例句：

• It's sometimes difficult to be forthright and not give offence.又直率又不得罪人，这有时很难办到。
• He told me forthright just why he refused to take my side.他直率地告诉我他不肯站在我这一边的原因。