The Elysee Palace of France issued a clarification on the video of French President Emmanuel Macron hiding a white pouch that has gained significant attention. They termed this as ‘fake’ news and asked to remain vigilant against the manipulation spread by “France’s enemies.” Notably, a video of President Macron hiding a white pouch of something went viral with claims of it being a ‘cocaine’ pouch. The video was shot when Macron was travelling on train, along with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. All these leaders had visited Kyiv on Saturday and held talks with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The moment was caught during a train ride from Poland to Ukraine when reporters unexpectedly entered the room. Social media users, particularly the Russian accounts claimed that Macron sneakily and deftly swiped the white pouch out of the camera’s view. Others claimed that while Macron hid it, German Chancellor Merz was seen concealing a coke straw or spoon.
The Truth
As the speculation around Macron hiding cocaine grew on social media, French media outlets cmae forward to defend the allegations, calling it a “conspiracy theory.” The media reports stressed that the thing white thing Macron grabbed was a handkerchief, and the item Merz picked was a “stirrer.”
Sharing the picture on X, the Elysee Palace of France wrote, “When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs. This fake news is being spread by France’s enemies, both abroad and at home. We must remain vigilant against manipulation.”
While the written statement targeted the “Enemies of France”, the picture shared along with the post read as: “This is European unity to build peace” with picture of leaders and ‘This is a tissue for blowing your nose” with a photo of white tissue roll.
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How Did The Rumour Start?
According to reports, the rumour was first fueled by Russia’s Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who indirectly alleged that Macron, Merz and Starmer shared drugs during their visit to Ukraine. She posted the footage in a Telegram post. Her post suggested that “a Frenchman, an Englishman, and a German” had used cocaine. “The fate of Europe is being decided by utterly dependent individuals,” she wrote. “It’s as if the Almighty Himself is lifting the veil on this putrid spectacle.” Zakharova added.
NEW: French media is shutting down social media rumors that French President Emmanuel Macron was caught with a bag of cocaine during a trip to Ukraine.
The moment was caught during a train ride from Poland to Ukraine when reporters entered the room.
Macron was meeting with the… pic.twitter.com/RMoKQ5VkUt
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 11, 2025
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