NEW DELHI: Russian president Vladimir Putin on Friday kept Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif waiting for more than 40 minutes before the Pakistani leader "gatecrashed" into an ongoing meeting between Putin and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkmenistan, according to RT.

As per RT correspondent, "PM Sharif waited for over 40 minutes for President Putin before growing tired and gate-crashing Russian leader's meeting with Erdogan. He left ten minutes later."

The incident comes at a time when Sharif has repeatedly attempted to strengthen Pakistan’s ties with Moscow, even as Putin has publicly displayed a far closer diplomatic comfort with India. The Russian president was in New Delhi last week for a high-profile visit, where his warm exchanges and private dinner with Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew significant attention internationally. The optics of Putin’s India trip have underscored the long-standing strategic depth of the Moscow–New Delhi partnership, which Sharif himself acknowledged in past meetings.

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During bilateral talks with Putin in China in September 2025, Sharif attempted to strike a conciliatory tone. He told the Russian leader, "I would like to thank you for supporting Pakistan and trying to have a balancing act in the region." He added, "I know and I must say that I respect your relationship with India and it is perfectly fine, but we also want to build strong relations and these relations will be supplementary and complementary for the betterment of the region. "

Sharif’s comments came at a moment when the United States under president Donald Trump had sharply criticised both India and China for continuing to purchase Russian oil.

The Pakistani leader also met Chinese president Xi Jinping during the same trip, with Beijing renewing its commitment to expanding the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor and upgrading the bilateral free trade agreement. Xi told Sharif that China expected Pakistan to ensure stronger security for Chinese personnel and projects.

Sharif later endorsed Xi’s Global Governance Initiative at the SCO summit, calling it significant for global peace and pledging Pakistan’s full support. The same summit saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi push for unified global action against terrorism, remarking, "Security, peace and stability are the basis of development of any country... Terrorism is not just a challenge to the security of a country but a common challenge for all of humanity. "

Friday’s brief episode, where Sharif entered and exited Putin’s meeting within minutes, has added a new layer to the diplomatic optics surrounding Pakistan’s pursuit of deeper engagement with Moscow, particularly at a time when Russia’s renewed warmth with India has been on full display.