‘FAKE NEWS’: France and its allies have long accused Russia of using disinformation as a weapon aimed at influencing public opinion and weakening support for Ukraine

• AFP, PARIS

Condemning “fake news” and accusing Russia of seeking to undermine efforts to bring peace to Ukraine, France has slammed false claims on social media that European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, were seen taking drugs on a train.

The accusation was made widely on social media by figures such as the US radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, but then also propagated by Russian officials, including Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

They shared actual footage of Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz meeting in a compartment on a train to Kyiv, heading to talks on Saturday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

From left, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz take a train to Kyiv on Saturday.

Photo: AFP

As Merz and Starmer arrive in the compartment, Macron is seen removing a white tissue from the table. The accounts claimed, without any evidence, that the white object contained cocaine.

Pictures taken inside the train by media showed that the white object was a crumpled tissue.

The controversy comes after repeated French warnings over Russian disinformation campaigns in Europe that have grown in intensity during its war...