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yesterday

France Rebukes Russian Disinformation Over Macron 'Cocaine' Video

The Élysée Palace and media outlets confirm the object in question was a tissue, denouncing claims as a coordinated propaganda effort to undermine European unity during Kyiv peace talks.

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Sir Keir Starmer joined President Macron and Friedrich Merz on a night train to Kyiv for a security summit on Saturday
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Overview

  • A viral video falsely claimed French President Emmanuel Macron concealed a cocaine bag during a train trip to Kyiv with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
  • The Élysée Palace and French media outlets, including Libération, debunked the claims, confirming the object was a tissue, while AFP and AP imagery corroborated this conclusion.
  • Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova amplified the baseless allegations, continuing a pattern of Kremlin-backed disinformation targeting European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
  • The incident coincides with Macron, Starmer, and Merz's diplomatic mission to Kyiv, where they called for a 30-day ceasefire and threatened tougher sanctions on Russia if rejected.
  • France's foreign ministry accused Russia's GRU of orchestrating online smear campaigns to destabilize European unity and bolster Kremlin narratives during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.