NEW YORK, December 20. /TASS/. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) analyst Gerard Baker called Russian President Vladimir Putin "the geopolitical winner of the year."

He explained his choice by saying that "Kiev’s much-vaunted counteroffensive has stalled; Mr. Putin’s economy has withstood Western sanctions; European resolve is fading; American support is fracturing."

He also named Elon Musk his business winner of the year.

"His Twitter/X caper may be costing him a fortune, but his core businesses continue to perform," the analyst said.