Russian President Vladimir Putin basked in a landslide re-election victory on Monday, extending his rule over the world’s largest country for another six years at a time when his ties with the West are on a hostile trajectory. He has promised to use his new term to beef up Russia’s defences against the West and to raise living standards. Putin loyalists said the result was a vindication of his tough stance towards the West. Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the upper house, hailed the victory as a moral one over the West. The longer-term question is whether Putin will now soften his anti-Western rhetoric.

Source: The Irish Times March 19, 2018 08:26 UTC