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2w ago

French Media Debunks Viral Video Alleging Macron, Starmer, and Merz Involved in 'Cocaine Scandal'

Fact-checkers confirm items in the video were a handkerchief and drink stirrer, not drug paraphernalia, as Russian officials and conspiracy theorists fuel disinformation.

French President Emmanuel Macron gives a joint press conference after a meeting of European leaders in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on May 10, 2025.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk
Image
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have sent internet speculation into overdrive.

Overview

  • A viral video showed Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, and Keir Starmer on a train to Kyiv, sparking baseless allegations of drug use online.
  • French media outlet Libération and fact-checkers at Lead Stories debunked the claims, identifying the objects as a handkerchief and a stirrer or toothpick.
  • Higher-resolution images from AFP provided evidence that the items were innocuous, refuting the conspiracy theories.
  • Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova amplified the unfounded claims, alleging drug use by the leaders during their visit to Ukraine.
  • Officials from the Élysée Palace, Germany, and the UK have not issued statements, but French authorities emphasized the disinformation's geopolitical context.