 "Fact-check: Did Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif really gate-crash Putin's closed-door meeting?")
Did Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have another embarrassing moment on the global stage? He was trolled online for allegedly gatecrashing a closed-door meeting held by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday (December 12).
A video of the incident, which occurred at a summit in Turkmenistan, has now gone viral. But is this the truth?
Let’s take a closer look.
What happened and why
Sharif was set to meet Putin on the sidelines of an international event in Turkmenistan. The event was being held to mark the 30th anniversary of the country announcing its permanent neutrality. Turkmenistan, which has the world’s fourth-largest natural gas reserves, in 1995 announced neutrality as an official policy under its first president, Saparmurat Niyazov.
The event was attended by leaders from Russia, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. A video shared by RT India showed Shehbaz waiting in an adjoining room to meet Putin alongside Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar. However, P utin’s meeting with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ran late by over 40 minutes.
Shehbaz then visibly seemed to lose his patience and walked into the closed-door meeting between Putin and Erdogan. He reportedly did so in hopes of securing a quick interaction with Putin. However, Shehbaz then left the room after just 10 minutes, the report claimed.
Social media users slam Shehbaz
Social media users wasted no time in coming down heavily on Shehbaz.“Gate-crashing at global level… Pakistan’s foreign policy just got a new definition,” one wrote.
“Putin does not want to waste his time on beggars,” another added.
“Even Trump did the same with these beggars,” a third person said.
“Putin did dirty to him,” another stated.
“He didn’t gatecrash, he was just checking if Erdogan had any spare change for the IMF instalment due next week.”
“He is just there to beg. Pakistan is associated with openly begging for money and aid,” another wrote.
Other comments were “Putin knows how to play” and “Global embarrassment.”
“How does anyone take him seriously?” a person added.
But what happened?
However, hours after the video went viral, RT India deleted the clip, saying it “may have been a misrepresentation of the events”.
“We deleted an earlier post about Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif waiting to meet Vladimir Putin at the Peace and Trust Forum in Turkmenistan. The post may have been a misrepresentation of the events,” it wrote on X.
We deleted an earlier post about Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif waiting to meet Vladimir Putin at the Peace and Trust Forum in Turkmenistan.
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) December 12, 2025
The post may have been a misrepresentation of the events.
According to Pakistani media, Sharif interacted with Putin and Erdogan and discussed various issues of bilateral and regional concern.
Pakistan’s overtures to Russia
The development comes as Pakistan is attempting to cosy up to Russia.
“I would like to thank you for supporting Pakistan and trying to have a balancing act in the region,” Shehbaz told Putin at the SCO. “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.”
This, even as Putin and Modi’s relationship has gone from strength to strength. The Russian President recently concluded a high-profile trip to India. The optics of the trip, which included Modi taking the rare step of greeting a foreign head of state at the airport, a shared car ride between Modi and Putin, and a private dinner, reiterated the strength of the relationship.
The countries had signed a slew of agreements including a labour mobility law and a number of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs).
Earlier, a video of Shehbaz leaving a formal group picture to approach Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), who was busy talking to China’s Xi Jinping, was mocked by social media users.
At the same event, users also noted the warmth between Modi and Putin, how they walked and talked together, and how Shehbaz was left standing aside and left out of the conversation entirely. The picture of Modi, Xi and Putin all smiling warmly, which made headlines around the world, was contrasted by many unfavourably with Shehbaz seemingly looking out of place.
Niyazov, till his death in 2026, kept a tight grip on politics via his policy of isolationism from the outside world, and an economy heavily based on natural gas exports. Serdar Berdymukhamedov, who succeeded his father as president in 2022, seems to be more willing to open up his country. Turkmenistan also says it wants to join the World Trade Organisation and diversify the economy away from gas exports, most of which are to China.
With inputs from agencies
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