美国总统唐纳德?特朗普(Donald Trump)已同意暂缓与韩国的联合军演，以避免朝鲜报复扰乱冬季奥运会，这一让步可能有助于朝韩关系解冻。
US president Donald Trump has agreed to suspend joint military exercises with South Korea in an attempt to avoid North Korean retaliation that could disrupt the Winter Olympics, a concession that may help efforts to establish a thaw between Pyongyang and Seoul.
五角大楼(Pentagon)昨日称，其“支持总统的决定及韩美同盟的最佳利益所在”。
The Pentagon said yesterday that it “supports the president’s decision and what is in the best interest” of the South Korea-US alliance.
白宫证实特朗普昨日已和韩国总统文在寅(Moon Jae-in)通话，并补充称，他们同意通过暂缓军事演习来为奥运会“降级冲突”，确保赛事安全。
The White House confirmed that Mr Trump had spoken with his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, yesterday, adding that they had agreed to “de-conflict” the Olympics by suspending military exercises to ensure the security of the games.
白宫补充称，两位领导人还同意继续奉行“最大压力”对朝政策。美国正试图通过制裁、国际孤立及先发制人军事打击的威胁，来迫使平壤方面放弃其迅速推进的核武器计划。
The leaders also agreed to continue the “maximum pressure” campaign against North Korea, the White House added. The US is trying to force Pyongyang to give up its fast-advancing nuclear weapons programme through sanctions, global isolation and the threat of pre-emptive military attack.
去年底，由于担心朝美之间的紧张局势有可能触发擦枪走火，给下月将在韩国平昌郡举行的冬奥会蒙上一层阴影，韩国曾要求华盛顿方面推迟一年一度的春季军事演习。作出这一让步之际，特朗普初步支持朝韩之间开启会谈，这两件事的背景是各方担心特朗普日益倾向于用军事干预阻止平壤核计划。
South Korea had asked Washington late last year to delay the annual spring exercises because of fears that tensions between Pyongyang and the US could spark actions that would cast a pall over the games, which South Korea’s Pyeongchang county is due to host next month. The accommodating approach comes as Mr Trump has tentatively endorsed efforts to develop talks between North and South Korea, amid concerns that he had been increasingly disposed to military intervention to halt Pyongyang’s nuclear plans.
去年一年，与世隔绝的朝鲜政权进行了第6次核试验，现在还扬言能够将核弹头打到美国本土。
Last year, the reclusive regime undertook its sixth nuclear test and now claims it can deliver a nuclear warhead to the US.
虽然特朗普曾将国务卿雷克斯?蒂勒森(Rex Tillerson)开启谈判的努力不屑地称为“浪费他的时间”，但他似乎支持开启对话的最新努力，并为此揽功。
Although Mr Trump has previously scorned moves by Rex Tillerson, secretary of state, to initiate talks as “wasting his time”, he appears to be throwing his weight behind the latest efforts and taking credit for them.
“考虑到所有那些蹩脚‘专家们’发表的评论，有谁真的相信，要不是我坚定、强有力、并且愿意动用我方的全部‘强大威力’对付朝鲜，朝韩之间能够开启商谈和对话吗？”特朗普昨天在一条推文中说道，他接着表示支持这些对话。“傻瓜，但对话是件好事！”
“With all of the failed ‘experts’ weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasn’t firm, strong and willing to commit our total “might” against the North” said Mr Trump in a tweet yesterday that went on to back talks. “Fools, but talks are a good thing!”
话虽如此，美国总统自今年初以来的言论一直摇摆不定。本周二他曾说，他也有个核按钮，而且比金正恩(Kim Jong Un)的那个要“大得多、也强得多”，但同时也对朝韩关系解冻表示欢迎，称其是个潜在的“好消息”。
Even so, the president has vacillated in his language since the start of this year. On Tuesday he said he had his finger on the nuclear button, one “much bigger and more powerful” than that of his Pyongyang counterpart Kim Jong Un, but also welcomed the thaw as potentially “good news”.
本周，朝鲜重启了与首尔的沟通渠道。由于试图保护自身免受来自边界另一侧的炮火袭击，韩国长期主张与其北方邻国建立更密切的关系。韩朝边界距韩国首都不足50公里。
North Korea reopened a communications channel with Seoul this week. South Korea has long espoused closer relations with its neighbour as it seeks to protect itself from the risk of artillery attack from over the border, which lies within 50km of the capital.
金正恩在其新年致辞中表示，他将考虑派遣一个代表团参加平昌冬奥会，并补充称，他对同胞之间的会谈持开放态度。周三，两年前被他弃用的一条电话热线在非军事区重新开通。
In his new year’s address Mr Kim said he would consider sending a team to the Winter Olympics, adding that he was open to talks between the neighbours. On Wednesday, a telephone hotline he abandoned two years ago was re-established in the demilitarised zone between the two countries.
中俄两国都曾对美国与韩日联合举行大规模军演表示不满。他们赞成“双暂停”做法，即美国停止演习，以换取朝鲜停止武器试验。
China and Russia have both made clear their dissatisfaction with large-scale US military exercises conducted with South Korea and Japan. They favour a “freeze-for-freeze” approach in which the US would halt the exercises in exchange for North Korea putting a stop to extensive weapons testing.