[ti:NATO Chief Urges Russia to Explain Military Buildup Near Ukraine]
[by:www.21voa.com]
[00:00.00]更多听力请访问21VOA.COM
[00:00.04]NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
[00:04.28]has urged Russia to be more open
[00:08.08]about its military activities near Ukraine.
[00:13.88]Ukraine claims Russia kept tens of thousands of troops
[00:19.52]and equipment near their common border
[00:23.20]after completing military exercises earlier this year.
[00:29.72]“We call on Russia to be transparent
[00:33.36]about its military activities,”
[00:36.52]Stoltenberg told reporters Monday after talks in Belgium
[00:42.20]with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
[00:46.68]“It is important to prevent escalations
[00:51.08]and reduce tensions,” the NATO chief added.
[00:56.28]Asked whether he feared a possible invasion
[01:00.00]of Russia into Ukraine, he said: “what we see
[01:04.88]is a significant, large Russian military build-up.”
[01:10.52]Kuleba called on NATO for help to strengthen Ukraine.
[01:16.28]He added that his country needed to prepare
[01:20.40]for all possible situations.
[01:24.28]Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014
[01:30.48]and supported a separatist movement
[01:34.12]that broke out that year in eastern Ukraine.
[01:38.24]Ukraine’s defense ministry has said about 90,000 Russian troops
[01:45.00]are stationed not far from their border
[01:48.48]and in rebel-controlled areas in Ukraine’s east.
[01:54.20]Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
[01:59.16]said American officials had been in close contact
[02:04.00]with “European allies and partners”
[02:07.28]about Russia’s military moves near Ukraine.
[02:12.68]After talks with Ukraine’s Kuleba in Washington on Friday,
[02:18.32]Blinken said the U.S. is not sure of Russia’s plans.
[02:24.04]But he added: “From what they’ve done in the past,
[02:28.52]we have real concerns about what we’re seeing in the present.”
[02:34.12]Blinken said the United States is committed
[02:38.84]to supporting Ukraine’s security and territorial independence.
[02:46.00]Last week, a Russian government spokesman
[02:49.72]dismissed Western media reports suggesting
[02:54.16]that Russia may be planning to invade Ukraine.
[02:58.20]“Russia doesn't threaten anyone,”
[03:01.60]government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
[03:05.80]“The movement of troops on our territory
[03:09.92]shouldn't be a cause for anyone's concern,” he added.
[03:15.60]I’m Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM