Thumbs-up for Putin

It was a given that Vladimir Putin will continue to reign on the throne. The presidential poll on Sunday was merely a ceremonial affair, especially taking into account the popularity that the former KGB officer had galloped in the wake of Russia’s successful onslaught on Ukraine. Moreover, the little or no space that was available to his opponents in the race by virtue of their being footnotes on the ballot box, made it a one-way affair. It also flagged a record landslide for Putin as he reportedly bagged around 88 per cent vote, putting his leadership on a par with Joseph Stalin’s. At the helm since 2012, Putin, in this new term, will not only go on to consolidate and enrich his grip on power, but also rewrite a new doctrine of Kremlin’s assertiveness over European affairs, as NATO and the US will keep on mulling their options before a resurgent bear.

The 71-year-old Putin lost no time in making his agenda clear as he pronounced that the ‘special operation’ underway in Ukraine will come full circle. He also minced no words in warning the West against meddling with Kiev. While Washington and Brussels have come down hard on the poll result, casting their aspersions over its validity and fairness, there are no takers in Moscow to even come up with a rejoinder. Rather Putin himself came up with a monologue of the polls, saying Alexei Navalny’s death in prison was regrettable, as he was willing for a prisoner swap. Nonetheless, it goes without saying that iron-handed tactics against opponents and their imprisonment in an era of censorship had left a bad taste even for those who awe and rallied for the Russian czar.

The West has no choice but to live with Putin. It will be sheer miscalculation to expect that Putin will climb down the ladder and negotiate a deal over Ukraine. Similarly, the earlier the Biden administration enters into a working relationship with Moscow the better, as a change of guard in Washington by year-end will leave American foreign policy in a faux pas while dealing with an insurmountable rival across the Urals.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2024.

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