A video featuring French President Emmanuel Macron during a train journey to Ukraine has gone viral for the wrong reasons, after social media users speculated that he was concealing a pouch of cocaine.
The short clip quickly sparked a wave of online rumors, further intensified by a Russian official who indirectly accused Macron and other European leaders of drug use.
In the footage, President Macron is seen aboard a train to Kyiv alongside German opposition leader Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, having entered Ukraine from Poland.
Social media platforms were soon inundated with claims based on visuals showing Macron appearing to discreetly remove a small white pouch from the table. Additionally, a white object near Merz drew attention, with some online users labeling it a “cocaine spoon,” allegedly used for nasal drug consumption.
French media outlets responded promptly to the allegations. Libération, a prominent French news outlet, conducted a fact-check and published a detailed report debunking the claims.
“These conspiracy accusations align with a broader narrative portraying Western elites as depraved and indifferent to the realities of war,” Libération noted, adding, “This is clearly not the case.”
According to Libération, high-resolution images and footage from reputable agencies such as AFP and AP revealed that the so-called “white powder pouch” was, in fact, a rolled-up handkerchief placed on the table before Prime Minister Starmer entered the room.
At that time, only Macron and Merz were present. The object near Merz, initially described as a spoon, was identified as a toothpick.
Russian Involvement in the Rumor?
According to Turkiye Today, the rumor gained traction following comments from Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. Posting on Telegram, Zakharova referred to the trio as “a Frenchman, an Englishman, and a German,” alleging that they had used cocaine and failed to clear the evidence before journalists arrived.
She also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, labeling him an “unstable cocaine addict,” and claimed that a Western diplomat had once told her drug use among European leaders was considered “normal.”
Her comments fueled further online speculation, despite the lack of any credible evidence to support the drug use allegations.