DHAKA: Russian president Vladimir Putin, his popularity driven up by the crisis in Ukraine, is firmly on course to win a new term in 2018 if he decides to run.

An independent polling agency said on Thursday, reports The Straits Times.

A survey by the Levada research group found 81 percent of respondents would be ready to vote for Putin if a presidential election took place now, up from 77 percent in April and 68 per cent in January.

Putin’s public support has been rising since the start of the Ukraine crisis, during which Russia has annexed the Crimea region, the president has fiercely criticised the pro-Western leadership in Kiev and relations with the West have worsened.

‘His determination appeals to the majority of the electorate,’ Alexei Grazhdankin, deputy head of Levada, said in a statement.

‘It is unlikely that by 2018 a politician will emerge who can compete with Putin for the presidential seat.’

BDST: 2106 HRS, MAY 14, 2014