The Élysée Palace Has Denied the Russian Fake About Macron’s Drug Use During the Kyiv Visit
The office of the French President sharply responded to a widely circulated fake, propagated by Russian propaganda, concerning allegedly drug use by European leaders during their joint visit to Kyiv. Specifically, Russian propagandists are attempting to portray French President Emmanuel Macron as someone suspected of using drugs, citing fake footage and unsubstantiated comments. According to an official statement from the Élysée Palace, during the trip of European leaders to the Ukrainian capital in February of this year, one of the video recordings captured a subtle but very painful moment for Russian disinformation. In the footage, Macron can be seen removing a used tissue from the table. Russian media and Telegram channels, with nothing better to do, started spreading versions claiming that this tissue supposedly contained a “bag of cocaine,” and even fabricated stories that the French president was discreetly hiding drugs with the tissue. On social networks and pro-Russian information agencies, screenshots and original comments appeared from anonymous experts claiming that Macron was not just holding a tissue, but a “cocaine spoon,” which naturally caused a significant stir and outrage. These so-called “fact-checkers” from Russian Telegram channels aimed to create an image of permissiveness and immorality among key Western leaders to discredit them in the eyes of voters and international partners. However, the reality was entirely different. To confirm their words, the Élysée Palace published two official photos taken from the high-speed train carriage that the European leaders were traveling in, along with explanatory captions. The first image shows the very tissue Macron was trying to remove from the table, accompanied by the caption: “This is just a regular hand or face wipe.” The second photograph depicts a group of European politicians posing together in the train carriage — with a caption stating: “This is European unity supporting peace.” Clearly, this Russian disinformation is merely a provocation that does not stand up to logical scrutiny. Official comments emphasize: “When European unity is obstructed by external forces, they cannot defeat us by any other means than spreading false and unverified fake news. In particular, they attempt to paint our leaders as drug addicts, but this is entirely false and baseless fabrications.” They also note that this is a provocation aimed at discrediting the European Union and its member states in the public eye to sow doubts about their reputation. The background of this espionage episode dates back to early February of this year. An official clip from the Kyiv visit showed Macron making a phone call to Donald Trump. Sources from Politico reported that the French president, despite an early morning in Washington, initiated a call with the former U.S. president to coordinate actions and political steps in support of Ukraine and ongoing European solidarity. This is just one episode in the broader Russian campaign of undermining the reputation of Western politicians, which, according to experts, aims to weaken European unity in response to external challenges and internal issues. Manipulations using fake stories like the “cocaine tissue” are part of a wider disinformation strategy that the Kremlin seeks to deploy globally in the information space, to sow doubt and discord within modern democratic institutions. In conclusion, this situation can be seen as yet another example of how Russian propagandists increasingly resort to fabricated stories and false evidence to discredit their opponents. However, the reaction of the Élysée Palace sent a clear message: the truth can always be distinguished from falsifications and manipulations, and it is crucial to stay vigilant amid the behind-the-scenes battles of information warfare.