French Presidency Denounces Viral 'Cocaine Video' as Disinformation
- On May 11, 2025, Emmanuel Macron of France, Keir Starmer from the United Kingdom, and Germany’s Friedrich Merz traveled together by train to Kyiv to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- This trip occurred amid a three-year conflict sparked by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, during which Russia and pro-Kremlin actors have used disinformation targeting Ukraine and its allies.
- A viral clip and manipulated photos falsely suggested that the leaders were using cocaine on the train; however, credible news agencies confirmed that what appeared to be a suspicious white item was actually a balled-up tissue containing no substances.
- The Élysée Palace denounced the false information as fake news propagated by France's adversaries, emphasizing that disinformation has reached the point of falsely portraying an ordinary tissue as illegal drugs in an effort to undermine European solidarity.
- French authorities, including disinformation watchdog Viginum, continue monitoring Russian-linked campaigns aimed at undermining support for Ukraine and destabilizing European cohesion.
298 Articles
298 Articles
Macron’s Tissue Excuse: A New Low for Europe’s ‘Transparent’ Leaders - teleSUR English
The recent viral video showing French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hastily hiding a “white powdery substance” on a train returning from Kyiv has sparked outrage and suspicion. The footage, which spread rapidly across social media, raises serious questions about the integrity of these Western leaders—supposed champions of democracy and transparency—while Russia’s Foreign Mini…
Tracking the disinfo on Macron’s ‘cocaine use’ in Ukraine
Unsubstantiated claims of supposed cocaine use by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on a train to Ukraine last weekend may have started from a French account. One post, by a French far-right activist, quickly spread across the internet after being picked up by US conspiracy theorists and making its way to

Tracking the disinfo on Macron's 'cocaine use' in Ukraine
Unsubstantiated claims of supposed cocaine use by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on a train to Ukraine last weekend may have started from a French account.
Alex Jones' cocaine claim about European leaders falls apart under scrutiny
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones seized on a May 9 video of a train car meeting among three European leaders to claim they had used drugs and were trying to hide […] The post Alex Jones’ cocaine claim about European leaders falls apart under scrutiny appeared first on Poynter.
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