President Joe Biden welcomed NATO's 75th anniversary Thursday, as the security alliance hosted new member Sweden for the first time at a major meeting — and as Ukraine eagerly hopes for an invitation to join the group at an upcoming Washington summit.
美国总统乔·拜登（Joe Biden）周四（4月4日）庆祝北约成立75周年，该安全联盟在一次重要会议上首次接待了新成员瑞典，而乌克兰也迫切希望在华盛顿峰会上收到入盟邀请。
In a statement, Biden welcomed the recent addition of new members Finland and Sweden, saying "we must choose to protect this progress and build on it."
拜登在一份声明中对最近加入的新成员国芬兰和瑞典表示欢迎，并表示“我们必须选择保卫这一进展并在此基础上再接再厉。”
"This is the greatest military alliance in the history of the world," Biden said. "But it didn't happen by accident, nor was it inevitable. Generation after generation, the United States and our fellow Allies have chosen to come together to stand up for freedom and push back against aggression — knowing we are stronger, and the world is safer, when we do."
拜登说：“这是世界历史上最伟大的军事联盟。但这并不是偶然发生的，也不是必然的。一代又一代，美国和我们的盟友选择团结起来，捍卫自由并反击侵略——我们知道，当我们这样做时，我们就会变得更强大，世界也会变得更安全。”
Biden's Democratic allies agreed.
拜登的民主党盟友也表示同意。
"Despite [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's attempts to splinter our alliance with his war against Ukraine, the transatlantic partnership is more united than ever before, thanks to the determined leadership of Joe Biden," said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "On this monumental anniversary, we reaffirm that America's commitment to NATO remains bipartisan and ironclad — and that we will never waver in our defense of democracy."
前众议院议长南希·佩洛西（Nancy Pelosi）表示：“尽管普京试图通过对乌克兰的战争来分裂我们的联盟，但由于乔·拜登的坚定领导，这一跨大西洋伙伴关系比以往任何时候都更加团结。在这个重大的周年纪念日之际，我们重申美国对北约的承诺仍然是跨党派的和坚定不移的，而且我们对民主的捍卫永远不会动摇。”
NATO allies have been increasingly unnerved by the prospect of former Republican President Donald Trump returning to the White House if he defeats Biden in the November 5 U.S. presidential election.
如果前共和党总统唐纳德·特朗普（Donald Trump）在11月5日的美国总统选举中击败拜登，他将重返白宫，北约盟国对此越来越感到不安。
As president, Trump frequently complained that numerous NATO countries were not meeting NATO's recommendation that they spend 2% of their country's economic output on defense.
作为总统，特朗普经常抱怨许多北约国家没有遵守北约的建议，即将本国经济产出的2%用于国防。
In February, at a campaign rally, Trump recounted what he said was a conversation he had when he was the U.S. leader with the "president of a big country."
今年2月，在一次竞选集会上，特朗普讲述了他在担任美国领导人时与“一个大国的总统”的一次谈话。
"Well sir, if we don't pay, and we're attacked by Russia — will you protect us?" Trump quoted the unnamed leader as saying.
“先生，如果我们不付款，而我们遭到俄罗斯的攻击，你会保护我们吗？”特朗普援引这位未透露姓名的领导人的话说。
"I said: 'You didn't pay? You're delinquent.'
“我说：‘你没有付款？你拖欠了？’
He said: 'Yes, let's say that happened.'
他说：‘是，假设这件事发生了。’
'No, I would not protect you.," said Trump. "In fact, I would encourage them [Russia] to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay.'"
不，我不会保护你。事实上，我会鼓励他们（俄罗斯）为所欲为。你必须付款，”特朗普说。
The NATO countries' pledge to defend each other has been invoked only once, when al-Qaida terrorists attacked the U.S. in 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.
北约国家保护彼此的承诺只启用了一次，那是在美国2001年受到“基地”恐怖分子袭击之后。那次袭击导致近3千人丧生。
The U.S. and its allies responded with a two-decade fight against the militants' training sites and encampments in Afghanistan although Taliban rulers remained in power as Biden pulled out the last U.S. troops in 2021.
美国和盟国做出回应，进行了二十年的战斗，打击武装分子在阿富汗的训练场地和营地。不过，在拜登2021年从阿富汗撤走最后一名美军之后，塔利班重新夺回了阿富汗的统治权。
Some analysts argue that the alliance remains relevant, citing Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
一些分析人士认为，北约联盟仍然具有重要意义，他们提到的理由是俄罗斯对乌克兰的侵略。
"Nearly a billion people sleep more soundly at night under NATO's protective umbrella," said Robert Benson, a senior policy analyst at the Center for American Progress, in a message sent to VOA. "Yet a small but vocal minority views the alliance as a relic of the past, an albatross, or a distraction — all this in a world where Russian imperial ambition has once again threatened international peace and security," he said. "The United States must continue to support Ukraine and to strengthen NATO, not out of charity or moral obligation, but because it makes us safer here at home."
美国进步中心（Center for American Progress）高级政策分析师罗伯特·本森（Robert Benson）在发给美国之音（VOA）的信息中说：“在北约的保护伞下，近十亿人晚上睡得更好了。然而，人数不多但调门很高的少数派认为该联盟是过去的遗迹、沉重的负担或干扰——所有这一切都发生在俄罗斯帝国主义野心再次威胁国际和平与安全的世界中。美国必须继续支持乌克兰并加强北约，不是出于慈善或道德义务，而是因为这让我们国内更安全。”
