The Elysee Palace today denied claims that cocaine was on the table at which the leaders of France, Germany and Great Britain were sitting on a train during their trip to Kiev, stating that it was a tissue and that the fake news was being spread by France's enemies.
"It's a tissue. For blowing your nose," French President Emmanuel Macron's office said in a post on X, along with a photo (screenshot) from the video that has spread online.
Along with that screenshot, the Elysee Palace released another from the same video, showing Macron smiling next to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
"This is European unity. For building peace," Macron's cabinet said.
Alongside the two photos, Macron's office wrote that the fake news about cocaine use is "spread by the enemies of France, both abroad and at home."
"When European unity begins to cause discomfort, disinformation goes so far that a simple handkerchief seems like a drug. This fake news is spread by France's enemies, both abroad and at home. We must remain vigilant against manipulation," the Elysee Palace said.
A video taken by Agence France-Presse on a train carrying three European leaders to Kiev for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went viral yesterday. The video shows Macron taking a white object from a table, tucking it under his arm, and then putting it in his pocket.
The video was also posted on Telegram by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, claiming that Macron removed a packet of cocaine from the table.
"A Frenchman, an Englishman and a German got on the train and ... pulled away. Apparently so much so that before the journalists arrived they forgot to put away their belongings (a packet and a spoon)," Zakharova wrote.
The recording was also released by American right-wing radio host Alex Jones, known for spreading conspiracy theories, claiming that Macron "quickly put a bag of white powder in his pocket" and that Merz "hid a teaspoon."
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