President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has always shown a mastery for playing to the cameras, whether posing bare-chested on horseback, dancing with Tartars or riding Harleys with bikers.

On Saturday, that command was on display again, this time as the Russian leader made a brief personal appearance in the Styrian Alps at the wedding of Austria’s foreign minister, before continuing north to Germany where he was to hold talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Mr. Putin’s brief visit — he stayed for an hour and 20 minutes — created a buzz throughout the alpine nation and beyond. Not all of it was positive.

Opposition politicians and Ukranian leaders said the Russian president’s presence could harm Austria’s foreign policy at a time when it holds the European Union’s rotating presidency.