French Government Issues Clarification Over President Macron's 'Cocaine' Video

The French government has been forced to issue a clarification after online conspiracy theorists claimed that President Emmanuel Macron, alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, were snorting cocaine on a train together.

The trio were travelling to meet Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky in Kyiv to demand that Russia agree to a ceasefire. As the leaders sat inside the carriage for a photo op, some far-right and pro-Russian accounts claimed that the French leader was hiding a pouch of cocaine.

Videos of the alleged incident flooded social media, with other conspiracy theorists claiming to have spotted a "cocaine spoon", which is typically used for nasal insufflation.

Three men and a bag of white powder.

Notice how Macron sneakily and deftly swipes it out of the camera's view.

The German chancellor Merz takes care of the spoon.

Can't have people thinking they are plotting strategy while doing cocaine together pic.twitter.com/6IWcT8ZoNI

— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) May 11, 2025

Responding to the rumours, the French presidency said it was a coordinated disinformation campaign, intended to break European unity.

"When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," wrote the Elysee on X (formerly Twitter), denouncing the allegations.

"This fake news is being spread by France's enemies, both abroad and at home. We must remain vigilant against manipulation."

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. pic.twitter.com/xyXhGm9Dsr

— Élysée (@Elysee) May 11, 2025

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Peace talks

While Vladimir Putin's aides initially played down the peace plans conjured up by the European leaders, the Russian president announced on Sunday (May 11) his desire to restart the peace talks.

"We are committed to serious negotiations with Ukraine," said Mr Putin.

Ukrainian president welcomed his Russian counterpart's offer, calling it a "positive sign". Mr Zelensky added that the entire world "has been waiting for this for a very long time. And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire".