Overview

• Video from the Tianjin SCO summit shows Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif struggling with a translation earpiece during a bilateral with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who smiles and demonstrates how to wear it.
• The clip quickly circulated across social platforms and drew widespread memes, reviving a similar headphone mishap Sharif had at the 2022 SCO meeting in Uzbekistan.
• Separate footage of Narendra Modi, Putin and Xi Jinping in conversation also went viral, alongside a dubbed segment promoted as “leaked audio,” which remains unverified.
• During his meeting with Putin, Sharif said Pakistan respects Russia’s relationship with India and expressed a desire to build strong ties with Moscow.
• China’s host government described the 2025 gathering as the SCO’s largest, inviting about 20 foreign leaders and 10 heads of international organisations including the UN secretary‑general.