Macron traveled to Kyiv on Friday accompanied by Merz and Starmer for talks that concluded with European leaders proposing a 30-day ceasefire. Images from the night train that took them to Ukraine shows them laughing and dressed casually. Social media users made accusations about the trio, including that Macron had discreetly hidden a bag of white powder and Merz had a straw. But the French newspaper Libération said "this is obviously not the case" and reported how images from agencies like the Associated Press and AFP showed the mysterious bag of white powder was simply a handkerchief rolled into a ball. It had been placed on the table before Starmer and cameras had arrived in the cabin, where Macron and Merz were seated the paper said, while the straw "looked more like a stirrer or a toothpick, which the German chancellor would have crushed." The paper's article was headlined "No, Emmanuel Macron did not hide cocaine taken with Friedrich Merz and Keir Starmer in the train to Kyiv." On Monday, the Élysée Palace dismissed the story, saying that when "European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs."

On Monday, the French presidency responded to viral images circulating on social media, which they labeled as a "conspiracy theory" involving Emmanuel Macron and a bag that appeared to contain cocaine. Several media outlets even speculated that the French president was seen with illicit substances during his meeting with other European leaders.

The Elysée is pushing back on what it calls a smear campaign after rumors circulated online suggesting President Emmanuel Macron might have been consuming cocaine during a diplomatic visit to Ukraine over the weekend. “This is a tissue. For blowing your nose,” reads a post from Macron’s official X account, accompanied by a zoomed-in image of the moment and another showing the trio of leaders under the caption, “This is European unity. To build peace.” The Elysée didn’t specify names, but called the rumors an act of “manipulation” by “France’s enemies.” “When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs,” Elysée posted. “This fake news is being spread by France’s enemies, both abroad and at home. We must remain vigilant against manipulation.” Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was among those who appeared to fan the flames. “Looks like the Frenchman, the Englishman & the German boarded a train… and took a hit,” Zakharova said. “The fate of Europe is in the hands of drugged, dependent, temporary figures.” The speculation erupted after footage showed Macron subtly picking up a small white item while seated alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on a train to Kyiv. Social media users, fueled by speculation and doctored images, jumped to conclusions.