PARIS, December 28. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin is among the world’s top influential politicians of the outgoing year, according to a rating by the French news agency AFP.

"He was shunned by world leaders and put under sanctions for Russia’s role in the 2014 standoff in Ukraine. But Putin was still able to impose himself on this year’s most pressing problems, returning to the diplomatic centre stage over the Syrian conflict," AFP says.

The agency's journalists chose German Chancellor Angela Merkel as "the most influential figure of 2015". Earlier this month, Merkel, who has been at the helm of Germany for a decade, was named Person of the Year by Time magazine.

The rating also includes Pope Francis, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and suspended FIFA chief Sepp Blatter. US President Barack Obama has not been placed on the list this year.