社论丨Ukraine crisis talks must be done in good faith

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, now in its fifth year, has only intensified over time, fueled by the continuous military support from different parties, particularly NATO. The West has also implemented multiple rounds of sanctions against Russia, aiming to force its capitulation. However, these sanctions have not achieved their intended effect. Instead, the conflict persists.

俄乌冲突如今已进入第五个年头，随着各方持续提供军事支持，尤其是北约方面的支持，冲突局势不仅没有缓和，反而不断升级。与此同时，西方还对俄罗斯实施了多轮制裁，试图迫使俄方屈服。然而，这些制裁并未达到预期效果，冲突仍在持续。

As Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico rightly pointed out in a video address on Facebook on Saturday, the United States and its allies "naively believed that through Ukraine — and its full political, military and financial support — they could bring hated Russia to its knees". Fico's observation echoes the reality that instead of ending the crisis, the help extended to Ukraine has prolonged it.

正如斯洛伐克总理罗伯特·菲佐周六在脸书发布的视频讲话中指出的那样，美国及其盟友“天真地认为，通过乌克兰以及对乌克兰全面的政治、军事和财政支持，他们能够让他们所憎恨的俄罗斯屈服”。菲佐的这一看法反映出一个现实：对乌克兰的援助并未终结危机，反而延长了冲突。

The latest meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, at the Kremlin on Saturday, therefore, represented a critical moment for reassessing the strategies employed by the West.

因此，俄罗斯总统普京与美国特使史蒂夫·威特科夫、贾里德·库什纳周六在克里姆林宫举行的最新会谈，成为重新审视西方所采取战略的重要时刻。

The Kremlin announced that the talks were "substantive, constructive and extremely frank", during which Putin reaffirmed Russia's readiness to continue joint work with the US in search of political and diplomatic solutions to the crisis and once again emphasized the necessity of eliminating all root causes of the conflict.

克里姆林宫表示，此次会谈“具有实质性、建设性且极其坦诚”。会谈期间，普京重申俄罗斯愿继续与美国开展合作，寻求通过政治和外交方式解决危机，并再次强调，必须消除导致冲突产生的所有根本原因。

While any dialogue aimed at ending the conflict is to be welcomed, a genuine resolution that will pave the way to peace has to look beyond the immediate battlefield and address the deeper historical and geopolitical realities that have fueled this crisis.

任何旨在结束冲突的对话都值得欢迎。但真正能够开启和平进程的解决方案，必须超越眼前的战场局势，着眼于推动这场危机产生的更深层次历史和地缘政治现实。

From the Russian perspective, the Ukraine crisis is a culmination of a long-standing security dilemma. Central to this is the repeated expansion of NATO, which Russia has consistently viewed as a significant threat to its security.

从俄罗斯方面的立场来看，乌克兰危机是长期安全困境不断累积的结果。其中一个核心问题在于北约持续扩张，俄罗斯长期以来一直将其视为对自身安全构成的重要威胁。

Ultimately, the path to peace lies in political negotiations, not in the perpetuation of the fighting or sanctions. That both Russia and Ukraine have ordered a 72-hour temporary ceasefire during the Moscow talks shows that both are inclined to de-escalation if a path can be agreed.

最终，实现和平的道路在于政治谈判，而不是让战事持续下去，或不断延续制裁。俄乌双方在莫斯科会谈期间均宣布实施72小时临时停火，这表明，如果能够找到可行路径，双方都存在缓和局势的意愿。

Russia and Ukraine have both displayed remarkable tenacity, but that is all the more reason to stop this grinding crisis — a conflict that the whole world is footing the bill for. The fighting cannot be allowed to continue simply because both sides refuse to yield.

俄罗斯和乌克兰都展现出了强大的韧性，但这更说明有必要结束这场旷日持久的危机——这场冲突的代价正在由全世界共同承担。战争不能仅仅因为双方都不愿让步而继续下去。

Although Ukraine's defense production capacity is rapidly growing, with US capabilities now stretched by the Middle East crisis, the US administration is increasingly inclined toward withdrawing military aid to Ukraine and pushing for negotiations. Meanwhile, European support for Ukraine faces uncertainty due to tightening budgets and internal divisions.

尽管乌克兰国防生产能力正在快速提升，但随着美国在中东危机中的资源和能力承压，美国政府越来越倾向于减少对乌军事援助，并推动通过谈判解决问题。与此同时，欧洲对乌支持也面临不确定性，原因包括财政压力加大以及内部存在分歧。

In the interests of peace, the renewed US involvement in mediating the Russia-Ukraine conflict should be conducted in earnest. That means encouraging Russia and Ukraine to come to the negotiating table, addressing the root causes of this crisis, and working toward a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture for Europe.

为了和平，美方重新参与调解俄乌冲突应当以认真、务实的态度推进。这意味着，应鼓励俄罗斯和乌克兰回到谈判桌前，解决这场危机的根本原因，并努力构建一个平衡、有效且可持续的欧洲安全架构。

China has consistently adhered to the direction of a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis and has maintained contact with relevant parties for an early end to the crisis. On Tuesday, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Sun Lei, called on the parties to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the wider international community to step up efforts toward a ceasefire and a political settlement, warning that continued fighting is causing mounting civilian casualties and wider spillover effects.

中国始终坚持推动通过政治途径解决乌克兰危机，并持续与有关各方保持沟通，推动危机尽早结束。周二，中国常驻联合国副代表孙磊呼吁俄乌冲突各方以及国际社会进一步加大努力，推动停火和政治解决。他警告称，持续的战事正在造成不断增加的平民伤亡，并产生更广泛的外溢影响。

As Sun noted, adding fuel to the fire and exploiting the conflict to create division and confrontation would only make a political settlement more difficult.

正如孙磊所指出的那样，拱火助燃、借冲突制造分裂和对抗，只会让政治解决变得更加困难。

in good faith /ɪn ɡʊd feɪθ/ phr.真诚地；善意地；以诚意

force someone’s capitulation /fɔːrs ˈkæpɪtʃuˈleɪʃn/ phr.迫使某方屈服

bring the crisis to an end /brɪŋ ðə ˈkraɪsɪs tuː ən end/ phr.结束危机

address the root causes /əˈdres ðə ruːt ˈkɔːzɪz/ phr.解决根本原因

path to peace /pæθ tuː piːs/ n.和平之路

step up efforts /step ʌp ˈefərts/ phr.加大努力；加强行动

add fuel to the fire /æd fjuːəl tuː ðə faɪər/ phr.火上浇油；使局势恶化

political settlement /pəˈlɪtɪkl ˈsetlmənt/ n.政治解决方案