VOA标准英语2009年-Russia Slams Ukraine-EU Pipeline Deal

Russia is postponing¹ scheduled consultations² with the government of Ukraine pending³ review of Monday's agreement between Kyiv and the European Union to improve the Ukrainian gas pipeline⁴ system. Earlier, Moscow also threatened to reassess its relations with the EU over the deal, which would allow for greater movement of Russian gas to Europe through Ukraine.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev told a meeting of the Russian Security Council in Moscow Tuesday that next week's scheduled consultations between the prime ministers of Russia and Ukraine should be postponed⁵ until Moscow understands the ramifications⁶ of Kyiv's pipeline agreement with the European Union.

Mr. Medvedev said the deal raises a number of questions, which Prime Minister Vladimir Putin elaborated.

Mr. Putin says the key factor as stated in the agreement is the volume of gas pumped through the Ukrainian pipeline system. The prime minister also says it is obvious that gas for the pipeline cannot come from anywhere except the territory of Russia, which he says, is a question that nobody asked Moscow about.

Despite Mr. Putin's statement, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko was present at the conference in Brussels, where the EU-Ukraine deal was signed.

In a rare show of unity⁷ at that meeting, Ukraine's feuding⁸ leaders, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and President Viktor Yushchenko, presented the EU with a $7.5 billion gas modernization⁹ plan. European officials welcomed the proposal as a way of securing the continent's energy needs and helping¹⁰ the Ukrainian economy.
　
Vladimir Feigin, Director of Moscow's Institute for Energy and Finance

Vladimir Feigin, the director of Moscow's Institute for Energy and Finance, told VOA that Europe's active interest in the Ukrainian pipeline system comes as a result of January's gas war between Moscow and Kyiv, which disrupted European fuel supplies in the dead of winter.

Feigin says European leaders, who generally maintained a passive position with regard to Ukrainian pipelines¹¹, began to feel the matter is important to voters concerned about lengthy¹² fuel disruptions. He adds that funds for the proposal will be approved, because it is clear the issue is tied to European security, jobs, industries, and people's lives.

About 80 percent of the gas Russia sells to Europe goes through Ukraine, and increasing capacity would likely raise the percentage. Volodymyr Omelchenko, energy expert at the Razumkov Center in Kyiv, says such an increase would run counter to Moscow's plans for the Nordstream and Southstream pipelines that circumvent¹³ Ukraine.
　
Volodymyr Omelchenko, an energy expert at Kyiv's Razumkov Center

Omelchenko says it makes no sense to build Nordstream, Southstream and to also increase Ukrainian capacity, because first of all, there won't be enough gas to use the new capacities, and secondly¹⁴, Europe will not need that much gas.

When completed, Nordstream and Southstream are expected to have a combined capacity of 85 billion cubic meters per year, compared to 120 billion, which Ukraine currently has.

On Monday, just hours after Kyiv and Brussels signed the pipeline agreement, Mr. Putin threatened to reassess Russia's relations with the EU, calling its deal with Ukraine ill-considered, unprofessional and not serious.

Mr. Putin says Russia recently made proposals to the European Union at various levels to combine efforts in order to provide joint¹⁵ credits to Ukraine. He says the European Commission responded that it does not have money for Ukraine. This prompts the prime minister to ask if somebody is not trying to use the current global economic difficulties to take control of Ukraine's gas transport system.

But Volodymyr Omelchenko says Kyiv is seizing the opportunity for productive cooperation with a suddenly pro-active Europe, partly out of fear of giving Russia's Gazprom state energy monopoly more influence in Ukraine, and partly because of the global economic crisis.

Omelchenko says when there are no funds and no money to pay government employees and Ukraine finds itself in a very deep economic hole, then you do not think about tomorrow or about politics.

The agreement between the EU and Ukraine does not include precise financial figures. However, it establishes common rules for producers and consumers in the gas trade. It also seeks to reform the management of Ukraine's gas companies to reduce red tape and corruption¹⁶ in order lower the risk for foreign investors¹⁷.

1 postponing   

v.延期，推迟( postpone的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He tried to gain time by postponing his decision. 他想以迟迟不作决定的手段来争取时间。 来自辞典例句
• I don't hold with the idea of postponing further discussion of the matter. 我不赞成推迟进一步讨论这件事的想法。 来自辞典例句

2 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

4 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

5 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

6 ramifications   

n.结果，后果( ramification的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These changes are bound to have widespread social ramifications. 这些变化注定会造成许多难以预料的社会后果。
• What are the ramifications of our decision to join the union? 我们决定加入工会会引起哪些后果呢？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

8 feuding   

vi.长期不和（feud的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Riccardo and Cafiero had been feuding so openly that the whole town knew about it. 里卡多和卡菲埃罗一直公开地闹别扭，全城的人都知道此事。 来自辞典例句
• The two families have been feuding with each other for many generations. 这两个家族有好多代的世仇了。 来自互联网

9 modernization   

n.现代化，现代化的事物

参考例句：

• This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
• The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

11 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

12 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

13 circumvent   

vt.环绕，包围；对…用计取胜，智胜

参考例句：

• Military planners tried to circumvent the treaty.军事策略家们企图绕开这一条约。
• Any action I took to circumvent his scheme was justified.我为斗赢他的如意算盘而采取的任何行动都是正当的。

14 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

15 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。

16 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。

17 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会