It is clear that over the last five years especially, the United States has pursued a hegemonic, uni-polar agenda, setting dangerous international precedents while trying to establish its writ as the world’s sole centre of power. The Russian president is spot on in implying that because of America’s bypassing the United Nations in using military force, weaker nations’ insecurity is pushing them to arms races. More so because “nobody can hide behind international law” anymore.

The sharp rebuke from the American contingent was no doubt predictable. But those defending Washington must have noted how their rhetoric reeked of double standards. It is simply not possible to deny that America has “overstepped its borders in all spheres” and “imposed itself on other states”. It is also hard to rebut the claim that the US has picked fight after fight “without achieving a full-fledged solution to any of them”. And in doing so it has left behind a  trail of needless death and destruction, with no justification whatsoever.

Furthermore, as lopsided as Washington’s foreign policy has been, the domestic political spillover is not less grim and long-term. Like the rest of the world, America’s polity’s pundits are realising how the constitution empowers the seat of the president to potentially wreak bloody havoc in all corners of the globe, in face of mounting domestic, international and even Congressional disapproval.

Despite these facts, there is no admission of mistakes having been made from Washington, remorse being a far-off thing. That means any attempt at addressing many of the US-created disasters is definitely not around the corner.

President Putin has done the right thing by calling a spade a spade. Other world leaders should bolster this stance, lest the unprecedented times take more turns for the worse.