<p>Paris: President Emmanuel Macron's office has accused France's enemies of spreading fake news by suggesting that he and other European leaders had taken drugs on a train during a visit to Kyiv.</p><p>Video footage published online showed Macron sitting at a table in a train compartment with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In the footage, Macron removes a crumpled white object from the table.</p><p>Some social media users suggested - without providing evidence - that the object was a "cocaine" bag and Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova reposted the footage.</p><p>Macron's Elysee office said the white object was a tissue.</p><p>"When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," the Elysee said in a post on X, above a picture of a tissue on the table captioned: "This is a tissue. For blowing your nose".</p>.<p>"This fake news is being spread by France's enemies, both abroad and at home. We must remain vigilant against manipulation," the Elysee said, without identifying the enemies.</p><p>American far-right radio host Alex Jones was among those who criticised the European leaders online.</p><p>Zakharova wrote on Telegram: "As in the joke, a Frenchman, an Englishman and a German boarded the train and ... got high. Apparently, so much so that they forgot to remove the accessories (a bag and a spoon) before the arrival of the journalists."</p><p>Macron, Merz, Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday in a show of solidarity with Kyiv more than three years into Russia's war in Ukraine.</p><p>France has started to take a more forceful approach to countering online rumours. It has tasked its Viginum foreign disinformation watchdog with monitoring Russia-linked social media accounts and uncovering influence operations.</p><p>French officials have also expressed concern about media accounts linked to the American alt-right.</p><p>"Our public debate is bombarded with Russian propaganda, relayed by the American far-right," French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X last week. </p>
<p>Paris: President Emmanuel Macron's office has accused France's enemies of spreading fake news by suggesting that he and other European leaders had taken drugs on a train during a visit to Kyiv.</p><p>Video footage published online showed Macron sitting at a table in a train compartment with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In the footage, Macron removes a crumpled white object from the table.</p><p>Some social media users suggested - without providing evidence - that the object was a "cocaine" bag and Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova reposted the footage.</p><p>Macron's Elysee office said the white object was a tissue.</p><p>"When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," the Elysee said in a post on X, above a picture of a tissue on the table captioned: "This is a tissue. For blowing your nose".</p>.<p>"This fake news is being spread by France's enemies, both abroad and at home. We must remain vigilant against manipulation," the Elysee said, without identifying the enemies.</p><p>American far-right radio host Alex Jones was among those who criticised the European leaders online.</p><p>Zakharova wrote on Telegram: "As in the joke, a Frenchman, an Englishman and a German boarded the train and ... got high. Apparently, so much so that they forgot to remove the accessories (a bag and a spoon) before the arrival of the journalists."</p><p>Macron, Merz, Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday in a show of solidarity with Kyiv more than three years into Russia's war in Ukraine.</p><p>France has started to take a more forceful approach to countering online rumours. It has tasked its Viginum foreign disinformation watchdog with monitoring Russia-linked social media accounts and uncovering influence operations.</p><p>French officials have also expressed concern about media accounts linked to the American alt-right.</p><p>"Our public debate is bombarded with Russian propaganda, relayed by the American far-right," French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X last week. </p>