HAVING secured his fifth term with a landslide victory in the Russian elections, President Vladimir Putin has tightened his grip on power amid allegations of a rigged poll. Emboldened by the overwhelming mandate, Putin has warned the US-led NATO against the deployment of troops in Ukraine, saying that such a move would be one step shy of 'a full-scale World War III'. The West might have dismissed the elections as a sham, but the inescapable fact is that the US and its allies would have to deal with Putin for at least six more years. The 71-year-old has already ruled Russia as President or PM for the past two-and-a-half decades.

Most of Putin's domestic critics are either in jail or in exile, even as his staunchest political enemy, Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic Circle prison last month. Navalny's widow Yulia Navalnaya has dubbed the President a killer and a gangster, but he remains stubbornly unfazed. His growing intransigence bodes ill not only for eastern Europe but also for the world at large. It's obvious that the Ukraine war cannot be brought to an end anytime soon unless Putin is persuaded to do a climbdown. Also, the West needs to see the error of its ways.

Countries on good terms with Russia, such as India and China, have a greater role to play in de-escalating hostilities. According to a recent CNN report, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and some other leaders helped prevent a potential nuclear attack by Putin on Ukraine in 2022. Last week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar admitted that India was involved in efforts to reduce tensions in the Russia-Ukraine war zone. New Delhi, which enjoys a strong relationship with both Washington and Moscow, is well placed to help in finding a peaceful solution.