Did Macron, German chancellor, Starmer take cocaine? France fact-checks claim
What's the story
The French government has rejected accusations that President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer consumed drugs on a train ride to Kyiv. The Élysée Palace, official residence of the French president, termed the claims "disinformation." The story emerged from pro-Russian social media handles and was subsequently repeated by a Kremlin spokesperson.
Official statement
Elysée Palace warns against manipulation
The Élysée Palace took to X to refute the false claims, saying, "This fake news is being spread by France's enemies, both abroad and at home. We must remain vigilant against manipulation." The palace issued the statement after a photo emerged of Macron picking up a handkerchief from a table while seated with Starmer and Merz. Online conspiracy theorists speculated that the French president was concealing a bag containing cocaine and that Merz was holding a white cocaine spoon.
Twitter Post
Watch the video from train here
On the way back from Kyiv, journalists unexpectedly entered the leaders’ cabin. German advisor Merz hid a spoon used for cocaine, while French President Macron concealed a bag of it. pic.twitter.com/NmlGXTncvE
— Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) May 11, 2025
Clarification
Elysee Palace clarifies the situation
Clearing the air further, the Élysée Palace said, "This is a tissue. For blowing your nose," it said, along with a photo from the meeting. "This is European unity. To build peace." "When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," it added.
Propaganda
Russian officials amplify drug allegations
The drug allegations had also been amplified by top Russian officials. Maria Zakharova, the Kremlin's foreign ministry spokesperson, posted these allegations on her Telegram channel. Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), also spoke about the video related to these allegations, wondering if it was AI-generated or real and what it meant for recent ideas and proposals.
Tactics
Kremlin's strategy to sow discord
The Institute for the Study of War cautioned that Putin is trying to influence discussions about a ceasefire and future peace in Ukraine, probably in an attempt to weaken Ukrainian-US-European unity around a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. "Kremlin officials have recently intensified their engagement with Western media in an effort to message directly to the Trump administration and American public and portray Russia's terms for Ukraine's surrender as reasonable," it said.