Leader: Russia's broad hint to Gaddafi

The decision by Russia to join fellow members of the powerful G8 group in calling for embattled Libyan leader Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi to step down is significant. Russia had been critical of the Nato intervention in the north African state, but, by falling in behind the rest of the G8 bloc, has removed one of the few remaining threads of hope Col Gaddafi had been clinging to.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev did suggest in his press conference at the end of the G8 summit that he would be prepared to mediate in moves to ensure Gaddafi's departure, but that was probably only a diplomatic way of appearing to take a softer line from the more hawkish stance of the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and the British Prime Minister, David Cameron.

Whatever the subtle diplomatic differences - and Russia's mediation offer was quickly rejected by Mr Cameron and Mr Sarkozy - the message from the summit in Deauville was clear: Col Gaddafi may not have been beaten by the rebels who rose against his tyrannical rule (or more accurately by the rebels operating with the military might of Nato behind them) but he can never win.

It is troubling to say the least that it is by no means certain Col Gaddafi is heading for total defeat, although the deployment of British Apache helicopters by Mr Cameron as part of the Prime Minister's move to "ratchet up pressure" on the regime increases the military capacity of Nato forces, which are effectively targeting the Libyan leader, whatever their formal mission may be.

The G8 leaders must be hoping this further pressure will force Col Gaddafi to stand down but they must have considered the possibility he will not. What to do if he fights to the bitter end is problematic. First, Britain and America say they will not put "boots on the ground", deploying soldiers.

Therefore if Col Gaddafi refuses to surrender it will fall to Arab nations to consider whether they want to intervene with ground troops, but this is something they will want to avoid however much they would like to see the end of the dictator. This scenario leaves the worst outcome of all: a divided Libya paralysed by military stalemate.

There is still hope it will not come to that, otherwise it will be a very long haul with British forces, short of ground troops, helping the rebels as they fight their way through Tripoli. With the Libyan capital seemingly still firmly in the hands of Gaddafi loyalists, a inevitably prolonged and bloody battle must raise the chilling prospect that the Tripoli becomes a second Baghdad. Unpredictable, even unstable, he may be, but the best hope for a speedy end of hostilities lies with Col Gaddafi himself. Perhaps heeding the Russians, we must hope there is a tiny shred of humanity left in him and that he finally ends the devastation he has brought upon his benighted country. But what his supporters do then is anyone's guess.