Ankara: The French presidency: has firmly denied allegations circulating on social media that President Emmanuel Macron used drugs during a train trip to Ukraine over the weekend.

According to Anadolu Agency, Macron was traveling with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer when a video emerged showing him appearing to pick up a white object from a table, which led to speculation online.

In response, the Elysee Palace issued a statement on X, labeling the accusations as 'disinformation' and dismissing them as an attempt to disrupt European unity. "When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," the statement asserted.

The presidency further emphasized that the spread of such fake news stems from France's adversaries, both foreign and domestic, urging vigilance against manipulation. To counter the rumors, the presidency shared a close-up photograph of a tissue on the train table, captioned: "This is a tissue for blowing your nose," alongside an image of Macron, Merz, and Starmer with the caption: 'This is European unity to build peace.'