北约将于周二启动其年度大型核演习“坚定正午”。此次演习将持续10天，由意大利主办。
NATO is starting its major annual nuclear exercise, "Steadfast Noon," on Tuesday. The exercise will run for 10 days and be hosted by Italy.
洛恩·库克，布鲁塞尔——北约高级官员周四表示，该军事联盟将于下周举行年度大型核演习。此前几周，俄罗斯曾警告称，若其领土受到威胁，将毫不犹豫地使用核武器。
LORNE COOK BRUSSELS —NATO will hold its major annual nuclear exercise next week, senior officials at the military alliance said on Thursday, just weeks after Russia warned that it would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons should its territory come under threat.
“坚定正午”演习将于周二开始，持续10天。演习由意大利主办，可能涉及来自17个北约国家的数十架飞机。十多年来，该演习几乎每年都在同一时期举行。
The “Steadfast Noon” exercise starts on Tuesday and will run for 10 days. It will be hosted by Italy and could involve dozens of aircraft from 17 NATO countries. The exercise has been held at roughly the same time each year for over a decade.
北约核政策负责人纳西玛·巴罗斯强调，此次演习对俄罗斯或任何其他国家都不构成威胁。
NATO’s Head of Nuclear Policy, Nassima Barrows, stressed that the exercise poses no threat to Russia or any other country.
巴罗斯对记者表示：“我们的‘坚定正午’演习是例行活动。我们每年都会举行，从未推迟。无需担心，这是可以预见的。”北约军官和官员并未透露将使用何种想定或军事装备来检验这个由32个国家组成的联盟的核战备能力。他们坚称，此次演习与当前的国际事件没有任何关联。
“Our exercise Steadfast Noon is routine. We have been doing this every year and we have not postponed,” Barrows told reporters. “There is no need to worry. This is predictable.”NATO officers and officials would not say what kind of scenarios or military equipment will be used to test the 32-nation alliance’s nuclear readiness. They insisted that it is not in any way related to current international events.
以往的演习中，能够携带核弹头的轰炸机和战斗机都曾参与其中，地面部队也一同参演。演习中不会使用核弹头或实弹。大部分演习将在意大利附近举行，远离俄罗斯。
Bomber aircraft and fighter jets that can carry nuclear warheads have taken part in the past, along with ground troops. No nuclear warheads or live munitions are used. The bulk of the exercise is being held near Italy, far from Russia.
上个月底，俄罗斯警告北约盟友不要试图切断其加里宁格勒飞地的联系。这一警告不仅被传达至北约总部，还发布在俄罗斯驻欧洲多个大使馆的网站上。
Late last month, Russia warned NATO allies against trying to cut off its Kaliningrad exclave. The warning was sent to NATO headquarters but also published on the websites of several Russian embassies in Europe.
波罗的海飞地加里宁格勒位于北约成员国波兰和立陶宛之间。这里是俄罗斯在波罗的海地区的主要海军基地和其他军事资产的所在地，并部署了具备核打击能力的“伊斯坎德尔”导弹。
Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad lies between NATO members Poland and Lithuania. It is home to Russia’s main Baltic navy base and other military assets. Nuclear-capable Iskander missiles are deployed there.
西方军事官员表示，如果俄罗斯对任何北约盟友发动攻击，加里宁格勒的关键军事设施很可能成为首要目标。
Western military officers have said that key military installations in Kaliningrad would be a likely first target should Russia ever launch an attack on any NATO ally.
俄罗斯驻爱尔兰大使馆在一份声明中表示：“不应有任何误解——如果北约国家试图将加里宁格勒地区与俄罗斯其他地区隔离，俄罗斯将随时准备动用其全部军备，包括核武器，来保卫自己的领土。”
“There should be no mistake – Russia would be ready to use all its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend its territory if NATO countries try to isolate the Kaliningrad region from the rest of the country,” a statement from Russia’s embassy in Ireland said.
巴罗承认，俄罗斯的核威胁言论日益增多，但她表示，北约尚未在地面上观察到任何令人担忧的动向。
Barrows acknowledged that Russia’s nuclear rhetoric is on the rise, but said NATO has not seen any worrying developments on the ground.
“我们正密切监视俄罗斯。我们尚未观察到其军事姿态有任何足以引起我们警觉的重大变化，”她说。
“We monitor Russia very closely. We have not observed any big changes to its posture that would cause us alarm,” she said.