A viral video showing French President Emmanuel Macron subtly sweeping a white object off a table during a meeting on a train to Ukraine has triggered a wave of baseless online speculation — with some users claiming the object was cocaine.

What Actually Happened?

The footage, taken during a meeting with UK PM Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, shows Macron picking up the object and discreetly transferring it under the table. French fact-checkers quickly investigated the claim.

Fact-Check Results

• French media outlets, including Libération, AFP, and AP, confirmed the object was simply a handkerchief.

• The Élysée Palace also dismissed the rumor, posting on X:

  “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.”

Why This Matters

• The false claims reflect a broader disinformation trend aimed at discrediting Western leaders and framing them as "decadent elites" indifferent to the war in Ukraine.
• It coincided with a high-profile joint visit to Kyiv by leaders of France, the UK, Germany, and Poland — a show of solidarity with Ukraine against Russia.

Macron later told Le Parisien that coordination among partner nations on military support was intensifying, with clearer strategy now emerging.