Pakistan 'perfectly fine' with India-Russia ties, but has a demand
What's the story
During a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif acknowledged the strong ties between Russia and India. He said that while Pakistan respects these relations, it also wants to strengthen its own partnership with Russia for regional prosperity. "We also want to build very strong relations which would be supplementary and complementary to the progress and prosperity of the region," he said.
Diplomatic engagement
Praise for Putin
Sharif also praised Putin as a "very dynamic leader" and expressed his desire to work closely with him. The two leaders are in Beijing for a grand parade of the Chinese army, marking the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. On the sidelines of this event, Sharif accepted Putin's invitation to visit Russia in November for an SCO event for heads of government.
Global discussions
Discussion on global issues
The meeting between Sharif and Putin also touched upon several global issues. These included the situations in South Asia, Afghanistan, the Middle East, and the Ukraine conflict. They also exchanged views on ongoing cooperation at the multilateral forums, as well as on the long-standing issues and disputes of global interest, such as Palestine and Kashmir, Radio Pakistan reported.
Recent developments
Handshake that went viral
This meeting comes shortly after an awkward moment at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China. Sharif was seen trying to shake hands with Putin as the latter walked with Chinese President Xi Jinping after a group photo. Another video showed him struggling with his earphones while the Russian leader tried to instruct him how to put them on using a hand gesture.
Twitter Post
Watch the video here
Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif’s Headphone fumble at SCO leaves Putin laughing, again!
— RUP JYOTI HAZARIKA (@rjhazarikam) September 2, 2025
International beizzati🇵🇰📷 pic.twitter.com/6Mlv73DSxp