A viral video that claims European leaders were using cocaine while on a train to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy was part of a coordinated disinformation campaign to sow discord among the allies, French officials said.
The video, which first appeared on the Telegram messaging app, shows French President Emmanuel Macron quickly pocketing a small package on the table while meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and newly elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The footage sparked speculation both in the U.S. and abroad that the three leaders were using narcotics before their meeting.
“They forgot to put away their gear — the packet and the little spoon — before the journalists arrived,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, according to Pravda.
Conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza said Sunday on X that President Macron snatched away what he called “a bag of white powder” with the dexterity of a professional drug dealer.
“Can’t have people thinking they are plotting strategy while doing cocaine together,” Mr. D’Souza wrote.
A close examination of the video shows that the “package” on the table was actually a crumpled-up piece of tissue paper, the Elysee Palace said Sunday in a statement.
“When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs,” French officials said on X. “This fake news is being spread by France’s enemies, both abroad and at home. We must remain vigilant against manipulation.”
