Barack Obama： Russia is a regional power showing weakness over Ukraine 歐巴馬：俄羅斯是在烏克蘭問題上顯現軟弱的區域強權

President Barack Obama has described Russia as no more than a "regional power" whose actions in Ukraine are an expression of weakness rather than strength. 總統歐巴馬形容俄羅斯只不過是「區域強權」，其在烏克蘭的所作所為是軟弱而非實力的展現。 Obama restated the threat from the G7 western allies and Japan that they would inflict much broader sanctions if Vladimir Putin went beyond annexation of Crimea and moved troops into eastern Ukraine. 歐巴馬重申7大工業國集團西方盟邦及日本的威嚇，警告普廷若有併吞克里米亞以外的動作，調動部隊進入烏克蘭東部，他們將擴大制裁。 The president rejected the suggestion that Russia was the United States’ principal geopolitical foe. He said he was considerably more concerned about the threat of a terrorist nuclear bomb attack on New York. 歐巴馬總統駁斥俄羅斯是美國主要地緣政治敵人的說法。他說，恐怖份子以核彈攻擊紐約的威脅讓他更為擔心。 Obama said he would not guess at Putin’s motivation, but his remarks appeared to confront one of the apparent aims behind the Russian leader’s actions so far in Crimea – to restore the superpower status and prestige Moscow once enjoyed as the capital of the Soviet Union. 歐巴馬說他不願猜測普廷的動機，但他的談話顯然是衝著這名俄羅斯領導人迄今在克里米亞行動背後的明顯目的：重建莫斯科在蘇聯時期享有的超級強權地位和威望。 "The fact that Russia felt it had to go in militarily and lay bare these violations of international law indicates less influence, not more," Obama said. 「俄羅斯覺得必須訴諸軍事，表露這些違反國際法之舉，此一事實透露的是更少而非更大的影響力，」歐巴馬說。 新聞辭典 inflict：動詞，施加、使承受。例句：A hurricane inflicted heavy damage on the island. （一場颶風對這座島嶼造成嚴重災情。） annexation：名詞，合併，併吞；動詞為annex。例句：Nazi Germany annexed part of Czechoslovakia in 1938.（納粹德國1938年併吞捷克斯洛伐克部分地區。） lay bare：動詞片語，暴露、顯露。例句：His words laid bare his ambiton for political power.（他的話表露出對政治權力的野心。）