No video with such content was published by the French news channel BFMTV.
Pro-Russian sources claim that the French Foreign Ministry has allegedly denied that Emmanuel Macron called Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Ukrainian president’s press conference with journalists. Citing an alleged BFMTV video, the propagandists claim that the French Foreign Ministry “has no idea who Zelenskyy spoke to”.
However, the French Foreign Ministry has never made such statements through any of its official communication channels, and BFMTV has never published this video – it was fabricated by propagandists. The video circulating online cannot be found on BFMTV’s website or on its official Facebook and X (Twitter) pages. Notably, this is not the first time that the channel’s branding and visual style have been misused to spread anti-Ukrainian disinformation about France. Previously, StopFake debunked a similarly fake report claiming that French companies were allegedly testing cosmetics on Ukrainian refugees.
The fake story emerged after an online briefing held by Zelenskyy on 19 March. During his live chat with journalists, the Ukrainian president received a call from the French leader. “Sorry, Emmanuel, but I’m in the middle of a conversation with journalists. Can I call you back in 15-20 minutes? Great, thank you. Bye,” Zelenskyy said. When a France24 journalist asked Zelenskyy to confirm that he had indeed spoken to Macron, he replied: “Yes, I just spoke to President Emmanuel Macron. We communicate very often, about once a day on average, I would say. Our countries have a very close relationship and he gives a lot of support. I am grateful to him for that“. On 27 March, Zelenskyy and Macron will meet for a summit in Paris to discuss the creation of a sustainable and long-term military policy to deter future Russian aggression and to outline the security guarantees that Europe can offer Ukraine.
For more debunked Russian disinformation related to France, see Fake: 71% of French Dream of Putin Leading Their Country – Le Figaro.
