Russia will likely go on the offensive against ISIS and win.
Then the whole of the Middle East will be in Putin’s debt.
Europe will also because that will stop the flood of people.
Local Christians will see him as “representing” the Russian Orthodox Church and assume that he gave a damn about them while Rome fiddled and spent more time courting gays.
America will be seen as a bunch of self-adsorbed loons that helped arm ISIS and then walked away.
That would have been unthinkable 15 years ago. But thanks to Bush II and Obama, you might well be correct.