Emmanuel Macron’s office has taken the unusual step of refuting unsubstantiated claims that the French President was carrying a bag of cocaine during his weekend visit to Ukraine, on Monday, the 12th of May, reports Politico.
The rumours were spread after Macron was filmed removing a crumpled white object from a table, discreetly, as he sat next to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during their visit to Kyiv on Saturday.
The Elysée was adamant on its official X account that the object was a napkin.
“It’s a napkin. To blow your nose,” the picture was posted alongside another picture with the caption: “This is European unity. To build peace.”
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. We must remain vigilant against manipulation. pic.twitter.com/xyXhGm9Dsr
— Élysée (@Elysee) May 11, 2025
The Elysée accused “France’s enemies both abroad and at home” of spreading disinformation, but refrained from pointing fingers at any particular country or person.
Last month, France declared that Russia was waging a silent war against the country and condemned the Kremlin’s cyber-attacks.
“We must remain vigilant against manipulation,” said the statement, which was published in French and English. “When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple napkin look like drugs,” the statement said.
The French presidency has taken a more aggressive approach to tackling disinformation on the internet in recent weeks, coinciding with the arrival of Macron’s new international spokesman, Jean-Noël Ladois.
“It is by denying [disinformation] when it appears that we weaken it,” said an Elysée official, who was granted anonymity under standard French protocol.
The Elysée Palace also last month issued a harsh response to a news story alleging that US President Donald Trump had excluded Macron during talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican.