Viral: Social media claims Macron hid cocaine during meeting, office denies allegations

On Monday, the French presidency responded to viral images circulating on social media, which they labeled as a "conspiracy theory" involving Emmanuel Macron and a bag that appeared to contain cocaine. Several media outlets even speculated that the French president was seen with illicit substances during his meeting with other European leaders.

Macron traveled over the weekend to Kiev by train, accompanied by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on support for Kiev in its fight against Russian aggression.

Social media users commented on images from the meeting that appeared to show evidence of shared cocaine use among the politicians. The claim was further amplified by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

The footage in the news item shows a crumpled napkin on President Macron's table, which he removed after the arrival of cameras and journalists. An enlarged image of what was claimed to be a "baggie of cocaine" clearly reveals it was simply a used tissue

A few hours after the comments spread across digital platforms, they were denied in statements to the French newspaper Libération. The Élysée Palace also stated that enemies of France were spreading "fake news" and "disinformation."

Other similar cases

This is not the first time Russian propagandists have backed such hoaxes, despite lacking evidence. On several occasions, they have accused Zelensky of using cocaine or other drugs, in what is seen as Moscow's attempt to discredit the Ukrainian president.

A video on the subject, shared in 2022 by pro-Russian groups on Telegram shortly after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion was discredited by the investigative media outlet Bellingcat as being digitally manipulated.