Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif Eagerly Greets Putin at SCO Summit

During the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, a video of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif went viral. The video shows Sharif appearing eager to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during a group photograph session. After the group photo, as Putin was walking with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Sharif quickly moved forward and extended his hand towards Putin. Putin, though initially walking past, turned back to shake hands with Sharif. Pakistan has been keen on strengthening ties with Russia, a trend that began under the previous government of Imran Khan. Khan’s visit to Russia coincided with the start of the Ukraine conflict. Sharif has since met with Putin on multiple occasions and also extended an invitation for the Russian leader to visit Pakistan.