France has strongly rebuffed allegations circulated on social media claiming that European leaders, including President Emmanuel Macron, were seen with drugs during a train ride to Ukraine. The French government called the accusations “fake news” and accused foreign actors of spreading disinformation.
The controversy began after far-right figures and Russian officials, including Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, shared footage showing Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a compartment on their way to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 9, 2025.
The video zoomed in on Macron as he removed a white tissue from the table, sparking claims that it contained cocaine. Prominent figures, including US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and Russian state media, propagated the baseless rumor.
In a statement, the French presidency dismissed the claims, clarifying that the object was merely a tissue. “When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation resorts to making a simple tissue look like drugs,” the Elysee Palace said in a tweet.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned Russia’s role in spreading the hoax, calling it “irresponsible” and an attempt to undermine European efforts to mediate peace in Ukraine. “This is a desperate move to prevent peace,” Barrot said, noting that similar disinformation was propagated by Russian officials such as Kirill Dmitriev, a key figure in Russian-U.S. talks on Ukraine.
The fake news campaign also involved an attempt to highlight a spoon on the table as further “evidence,” but AFP photos from inside the train clearly showed that the tissue was simply a crumpled napkin with nothing inside.
The Ukrainian Centre for Countering Disinformation also condemned Russia for attempting to discredit European peace efforts. “This shameful incident reflects the current state of Russian diplomacy, which has devolved into a tool for spreading disinformation,” the organization said.
