Putin’s contempt leaves Sharif embarrassed in Ashgabat as Russia courts India: Report

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was reportedly made to wait for more than 40 minutes for a scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a neutrality forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, according to a report in Russia Today.

Sharif eventually walked into the ongoing closed-door session with Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and walked out barely 10 minutes later, as seen in a video circulating online.

The incident occurred during events marking the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s permanent neutrality on December 12, 2025.

The viral clip has since sparked a flood of memes and comments on social media, with many users interpreting the moment as a diplomatic insult towards Pakistan and linking it to Sharif’s alleged struggles on the international stage.

The insult comes just after President Putin’s two-day visit to India on December 5-6, where he was given a grand welcome, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcoming him at the airport and a 21-gun salute at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

During the visit, India and Russia signed agreements to expand bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030, deepen defense cooperation and expand civil nuclear cooperation – moves widely seen as confirmation of Moscow’s pivot toward more reliable Asian partners amid Western efforts to isolate it.

Sharif’s awkward encounter in Ashgabat also came against the backdrop of Pakistan’s worsening economic challenges.

The IMF approved a $1.2 billion tranche of its $7 billion bailout package on December 9, but imposed 11 additional anti-corruption conditions – bringing the total to 64 over 18 months.

These include mandatory asset disclosure, comprehensive tax reform and liberalization of the sugar sector by mid-2026.