Pakistan, June 13 -- It is not every day that a diplomatic conversation leaves you with the distinct impression that something has quietly clicked into place. Last week, when the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad and the University of World Civilisations convened a webinar on Pakistan-Russia relations, the discussion moved with a sense of assurance. Speaker after speaker described a partnership that has entered what several participants plainly called its most positive phase in history.

Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari set the tone by pointing to steadily deepening cooperation in energy, trade and connectivity, and to the two countries' growing alignment at the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Dr Tariq Fate...