WHAT WAS CLAIMED
A video shows French President Emmanuel Macron hiding a bag of cocaine.
OUR VERDICT
False. He was picking up a white tissue.
AAP FACTCHECK - False claims about French President Emmanuel Macron hiding a supposed bag of cocaine on a train on the way to Ukraine are being promoted by pro-Russian social media accounts.
However, high-resolution footage and photos of the scene show that the object Mr Marcon picked up and hid was a scrunched-up tissue, and his office has dismissed the claim.
The claim is based on a video showing the French president, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer greeting each other as they travel on a train.
The claim is contained in social media posts featuring a clip of Mr Macron hiding a small white object and Mr Herz hiding a small slender object as the trio sit for a photo opportunity for journalists.
A low-resolution version of the video appears in a Facebook post from a New Zealand account.
"COCAINEGATE," the caption says.
"The globalist leaders of France, Britain and Germany met this weekend, with footage showing French President Emmanuel Macron grabbing and hiding what appears to be a bag of cocaine while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hides a small spoon-like object."
Another Instagram post claims: "Trending: On the way back from Kyiv, journalists unexpectedly entered the leaders' cabin. German advisor Merz hid a spoon used for c_caine, while French President Macron concealed a bag of it."
The false claim was amplified by right-wing figures such as Alex Jones and shared widely in Russian media, including RIA Novosti, Russia Today, Eurasia Daily and Pravda.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova posted on Telegram that the leaders used cocaine together and referenced a previously-debunked claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy admitted to being a drug addict.
However, high-quality footage and photographs published by the Associated Press and Agence France-Press show that the alleged bag of cocaine is a tissue, while the "spoon" is actually a drink stirrer.
The French president's office issued a statement on X confirming the white object was a tissue and said "fake news" is being spread by the country's enemies. A German government spokesperson told EuroVerify the claims were "absurd".
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Mr Merz's party, also said the white object was a tissue in a statement on X in German.
"It's actually just a tissue," the translated statement reads.
The UK PM's official spokesman also described the claims as "misinformation".
"We've obviously seen attempts like this in the past, particularly emanating from the Russian state, as it increasingly becomes more desperate in relation to the war in Ukraine," he told The Independent.
The three European leaders were not leaving Ukraine as many posts claimed, but were travelling from Poland to Kyiv.
The leaders joined Mr Zelenskiy in calling on Russia to agree to a ceasefire, the BBC reported.
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