It was not long ago that America’s relationship with Ukraine seemed irreversibly(不可逆转地) shattered. But on July 28th the Senate voted, 86 to 12, to advance a bill that would impose sanctions on Russia and let the president place steep(高额的，急剧的) tariffs on the main importers of its oil and gas. “This piece of legislation may have more effect than anything that’s done on the battlefield,” exulted(欢欣鼓舞，得意洋洋) James Risch, a Republican senator, somewhat implausibly. He credited Donald Trump for the vote’s success.
就在不久前，美国与乌克兰的关系似乎已无可挽回地破裂。但7月28日，参议院以86票对12票通过了一项法案，该法案将对俄罗斯实施制裁，并允许总统对俄罗斯石油和天然气的主要进口国征收高额关税。共和党参议员詹姆斯·里施有些难以置信地欢呼道：“这项立法可能比战场上做的任何事情都更有效。”他将投票的成功归功于唐纳德·特朗普。
It is the latest example of thawing(解冻，缓和) relations between American and Ukrainian leaders. Hours before the vote, Mr Trump hosted Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. “The meeting went very well!”, the president later posted on Truth Social. It is a remarkable turnaround since their bust-up(激烈争吵，破裂) in the Oval Office last year, which was preceded by Mr Trump calling the Ukrainian president a “dictator”. Mr Trump’s warming to Mr Zelensky owes much to Ukraine’s military prowess(高超的技艺，英勇), as well as his frustration with Russia. The death of Lindsey Graham, a senator and champion of Ukraine whose funeral in Washington took place on the day of Mr Zelensky’s meeting, also seems to have tipped some Republicans off the fence.
这是美乌领导人关系解冻的最新例证。投票前几小时，特朗普在白宫接待了弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基。“会议进行得非常顺利！”总统随后在Truth Social上发帖说。这与去年他们在椭圆形办公室的争吵形成了鲜明对比，此前特朗普曾称乌克兰总统为“独裁者”。特朗普对泽连斯基态度的转变很大程度上归功于乌克兰的军事实力，以及他对俄罗斯的失望。参议员林赛·格雷厄姆——一位乌克兰的支持者——的葬礼在华盛顿举行，恰逢泽连斯基会面当天，他的去世似乎也促使一些共和党人改变了立场。
Since the war began in February 2022, America has provided over $130bn in direct aid to Ukraine, including $74bn in military equipment and support, according to figures from the Kiel Institute, a think-tank. But in Mr Trump’s second term, there has been no significant legislation or authorisation of help for Ukraine. Though a chunk of aid appropriated(拨出（款项）) during Joe Biden’s presidency remains in the pipeline(在准备中，即将到来), Trump officials have already twice paused deliveries of weapons temporarily.
根据智库基尔研究所的数据，自2022年2月战争爆发以来，美国已向乌克兰提供了超过1300亿美元的直接援助，其中包括740亿美元的军事装备和支持。但在特朗普的第二任期，没有通过任何重大的对乌援助立法或授权。尽管乔·拜登总统任期内拨付的大量援助仍在输送中，但特朗普政府官员已经两次暂时暂停了武器交付。