“Pakistan is a large country, and it has multifaceted ties with different countries. They need to take into account cooperation with China, but everyone is developing relations with China.”
The Russian leader made these remarks at the St. Petersburg Forum while brushing aside a loaded question from an Indian reporter who sought to portray China-Pakistan’s strategic partnership as a concern for Moscow and that “Pakistan is a country that is fully under the control of China.” He also highlighted that Moscow was well aware of the intricacies of the issues concerning the border between India and Pakistan.
Furthermore, the Russian president also stressed that Russia’s own historical, decades-long partnerships with New Delhi and Beijing grew organically and remain entirely independent of one another.
Sources in Islamabad interpret this exchange as testament to the fact that Moscow is not willing to let India define Pakistan’s place in the regional order.
Last year, the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank, described Russia’s response to the post-Pahalgam India-Pakistan escalation as a cautious “balancing act.” According to its assessment, Moscow condemned terrorism and maintained solidarity with India, but also urged restraint and political dialogue, reflecting a South Asia policy shaped by wider Eurasian calculations.
Additionally, diplomatic sources point to the recent visit of Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez to India, aimed at finalising a US-backed crude oil deal that would reduce India’s dependence on Russian oil. They also mention the Indian military’s challenges in effectively operating Russia’s S-400 air defence system against Pakistan during the four-day conflict in May 2025 as potential points of contention.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was scheduled to visit Russia in March, but the trip was postponed in light of recent regional developments.
Last September, during a high-profile meeting with Putin held in China on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, Sharif noted, “We respect your relationship with India but we also want to build very strong relations, and these relations will be supplementary and complementary for the good, and for the progress and prosperity of the region.” The Russian president, in turn, warmly welcomed Pakistan as a “traditional Asian partner” and emphasized that Moscow “valued its relations” with Islamabad. He also took the opportunity to extend an official invitation for a state visit to the Pakistani premier.