Let's bring in Kurt Volker, the former U.S. ambassador to NATO and a former U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations.

讓我們請出庫爾特-沃爾克（Kurt Volker），他是前美國駐北約大使和前美國烏克蘭談判特別代表。

So the new Secretary of State is hitting the ground running.

是以，新任國務卿正在全力以赴。

As I said, he's got a lot to deal with.

正如我所說，他有很多事情要處理。

First, the situation in Ukraine.

首先是烏克蘭局勢。

Vladimir Putin says he's ready to negotiate.

弗拉基米爾-普京說他準備好談判了。

What do you think that means?

你認為這意味著什麼？

Well, I think it means that the pressure that President Trump is beginning to put on is starting to get to him.

我認為，這意味著特朗普總統施加的壓力開始讓他感到不安。

We have seen President Trump's commitment to lowering energy prices globally, oil and gas production in the U.S. going up, exports going up, calling on Saudi Arabia to do more and OPEC.

我們看到，特朗普總統承諾在全球範圍內降低能源價格，美國的石油和天然氣產量上升，出口量增加，呼籲沙特阿拉伯和歐佩克採取更多措施。

So I think that's one.

所以我認為這是一個。

Two, he's not lifting the sanctions that have been put in place on Russian energy, especially in the very last days of the Biden administration.

第二，他沒有取消對俄羅斯能源實施的制裁，尤其是在拜登政府執政的最後幾天。

I think Putin is observing that.

我認為普京正在觀察這一點。

And so he's trying to position himself now to tell President Trump, oh, I'm willing to negotiate.

是以，他現在正試圖定位自己，告訴特朗普總統，哦，我願意談判。

At the moment, however, it's not very sincere, because in the same breath that he says he's willing to talk, he says that President Zelensky of Ukraine is not willing to talk.

然而，目前這並不是很有誠意，因為在他說願意會談的同時，他又說烏克蘭總統澤連斯基不願意會談。

And he points to a 2022 decree where Zelensky said, oh, we you know, we can't talk as long as the war is going on.

他指出了2022年的一項法令，澤倫斯基說，哦，我們你知道，只要戰爭還在繼續，我們就不能說話。

That is a deflection from Putin's own desire to continue the war.

這是在轉移普京自己想要繼續戰爭的注意力。

The reality is that Zelensky has said many times he's ready to end the war and we need Putin to do that, too.

現實情況是，澤連斯基多次表示他已經準備好結束戰爭，而我們也需要普京這樣做。

He must be just just unbelieving that this this war that he thought would have him in control of Kiev in a few days has stretched on as long as it has.

他一定是不敢相信，這場他以為幾天後就能控制基輔的戰爭，竟然持續了這麼久。

And it it it it can't be good for the Russian economy and frankly, the Russian population, the number of soldiers he's lost.

這對俄羅斯的經濟不利，坦率地說，對俄羅斯民眾也不利，因為他損失了大量阿兵哥。

It is absolutely incredible the devastation that President Putin has wrought on the Russian economy and the Russian military.

普京總統對俄羅斯經濟和軍隊造成的破壞絕對令人難以置信。

They have inflation now that is out of control.

他們現在的通貨膨脹已經失控。

They have inflation interest rates, sorry, interest rates in Russia that are at 21 percent.

他們的通貨膨脹利率，對不起，俄羅斯的利率是 21%。

And the recommendation of the Central Bank would have been to raise them even further to rein in inflation.

而中央銀行的建議是進一步提高利率，以抑制通脹。

And Putin said no.

普京拒絕了。

They have a labor shortage because they've thrown so many people into the military effort they can't keep up with production in Russia.

他們勞動力短缺，因為投入軍事行動的人員太多，跟不上俄羅斯的生產速度。

And meanwhile, they have lost as many as 700000 people to the war.

與此同時，他們在戰爭中失去了多達 70 萬人。

At least a third of those killed.

至少有三分之一的人喪生。

And then the others wounded.

然後是其他傷員。

But then less functional, even in just twenty twenty four alone, over 400000 people.

但功能較少，甚至僅在 22 月 24 日，就有 40 多萬人。

So this is very, very difficult for Vladimir Putin right now.

是以，現在對弗拉基米爾-普京來說非常非常困難。