Video: After 40-minute wait, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif ‘gate crashes’ Putin–Erdogan meet; leaves within minutes

NEW DELHI: Russian president Vladimir Putin on Friday kept Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif waiting for more than 40 minutes before the Pakistani leader "gate crashed" into an ongoing meeting between Putin and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 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 against the backdrop of Sharif’s repeated efforts this year to strengthen ties with Moscow, even while publicly acknowledging Russia’s close strategic partnership with India.

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 remarks were made at a time when the United States under president Donald Trump had sharply criticised 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 deepen the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor and upgrade the bilateral free trade agreement. Xi told Sharif that China expected Pakistan to ensure stronger security measures for Chinese personnel and projects in the country.Sharif, in turn, endorsed Xi’s Global Governance Initiative at the SCO summit, describing it as significant for global peace and development and promising Pakistan’s full support.The summit also saw prime minister Narendra Modi underscore the need for united global action against terrorism, with Sharif present in the audience. Modi said, "Security, peace and stability are the basis of development of any country. But terrorism, separatism and extremism are big challenges in this path. Terrorism is not just a challenge to the security of a country but a common challenge for all of humanity. No country, no society, no citizen can consider itself safe from it.

Therefore, India has emphasised unity in the fight against terrorism... India took the initiative to fight Al Qaeda and the terrorist organisations associated with it by leading the Joint Information Operation... We raised our voice against terror financing. I express gratitude for your support in it."The brief interaction in which Sharif entered and exited Putin’s meeting on Friday has now added a new layer to the diplomatic optics surrounding Pakistan’s pursuit of closer ties with Moscow.