World press on political situation in Russia and the country's stance on Syria (June 11, 2013)

Time magazine has published an article by its correspondent in Moscow Simon Shuster, headlined 'How Standing Tough on Syria Helps Putin at Home.'

"Have a look at Vladimir Putin’s day planner over the past month, and you could be forgiven for thinking the Russian President has become the most powerful man in the world. Since the start of May, a parade of political giants have flown to Russia to reason with him on the issue of Syria and its civil war. All of them have failed to change his mind, or even his tone, and the only ones left celebrating Russia’s role in the crisis (other than Syrian President Bashar Assad) seem to be the Kremlin’s propaganda men," the article begins.

According to Simon Shuster, the Kremlin's tough stance on the Syrian issue has made Russia extremely important in the world.

The author notes that it is the first time in his political career that Vladimir Putin has received so many visits from the world’s most powerful statesmen in such a short period of time. The Russian president has recently met with British Prime Minister David Cameron, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netatnyahu and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. They all have travelled to Russia to pursue Putin to alter his position on the Syrian crisis, Shuster underlines.

"All of these visitors have politely ignored the fact that Putin’s government has spent the past year carrying out the worst political repressions since the fall of the Soviet Union," he adds.

Moreover, the Kremlin's line on Syria seems useful for Russia's domestic affairs, the author believes.

"Such exchanges play well for Putin at home. They help cast Russia as a bulwark against the conniving West, and that resonates with an electorate bred on the imagery of the Cold War. This narrative of duelling civilizations can also help explain Putin’s position on the Syrian crisis," he writes.