Montage of Putin awkwardly having handshakes repeatedly rejected goes viral

A TikTok user put together a short compilation video of all the times Russian President Vladimir Putin's handshakes were rejected by other people - and some people said it was his villainous 'origin story'.

The video, posted by vinzo, shows four instances of Putin attempting to give someone a handshake but getting publicly rejected. From world leaders to a seemingly famous chef, each time Putin goes for a professional greeting he gets passed up then slowly pulls back his hand awkwardly.

Coupled with the song All the Things She Said playing over the videos, it's hard not to feel bad for the guy who nobody wants to be caught dead shaking hands with.

"This is the reason he turned out the way he did," Vinzo captioned the video. Commenters joined in on the fun, mocking the Russian authoritarian leader.

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"It's always 'Why Putin?' but never 'How's Putin?'" a TikTok commenter wrote.

Others, bizarrely, said they felt sorry for the man, who has wreaked death and destruction in neighboring Ukraine.

"Why do I feel bad for him lol," one said.

"The fact that I feel sorry for Putin and want to give him a hug here shows my empathy levels have reached ridiculous heights," another TikToker commented.

"Never before have I been this conflicted," another person commented.

Obviously, Putin was already in an extremely powerful position by the time these handshakes were being rejected so nobody really feels bad for him. But that's never stopped Gen Z from making gaslight-Esq jokes before.

"All he ever wanted was a handshake... And Ukraine," one person said.

"Poor guy. I wonder what he's up to these days," another TikToker commented.

"I completely understand now let the rumblings begin," one person joked.

The entire montage reminds us of the time Melania Trump looked horrified to shake Putin's hand.

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