&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Hand of Kremlin’ or ‘miscalculated strength’? Russian foreign minister takes a sly dig over Macron’s viral video")
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Monday mocked the viral video of French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte is seen pushing his face away as they arrived in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi.
Mocking the video, which is being widely circulated on social media, Zakharova wrote on Telegram that Macron got “a right hook from his wife”.
“Did the first lady decide to cheer up her husband with a gentle pat on the cheek and miscalculated her strength? Was she handing him a tissue, but missed? Did she want to fix his collar but ended up reaching the beloved face?” she said.
“Here’s a hint: maybe it was the ‘hand of the Kremlin’?” she added.
In the video, Macron appears to move his face away from his wife’s hand, as many interpret it as a part of an argument between the couple.
The Elysee Palace initially denied the video's existence, but later admitted the incident, calling it just a “playful teasing”.
Trending Stories
)
Pentagon revives mandatory testosterone testing for male troops aged 30 and above
)
FACT CHECK: Why did PM Modi ask Xi ‘is it okay’ at BRICS Summit? New video reveals...
)
India seeks to build a full semiconductor supply chain
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
From Abhishek Sharma to Sahil Chauhan, 5 batters with fastest T20I hundreds
)
Pyongyang dismisses US, western pressure over nuclear programme
)
US And Denmark reach Greenland deal, Trump announces expanded military presence
)
Google’s Gemini AI hacks real systems by guessing passwords during security test
)
US hiding troop deaths in Iran war? Toll higher than Pentagon count, claims report
)
China may have gained access to US's classified F-35 jets; parts meant for repairs diverted to Hong Kong, sparking Pentagon inquiry
)
NASA research plane reaches 61,000 feet over Panama
)
Godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton gives US lawmakers a one-year warning on AI
)
Trump signs Russia sanctions law: India faces fresh 100% tariff threat over Russian oil
)
Brigitte Bardot’s private collection set for Paris auction; key items and prices revealed
)
Why Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar missed India’s Oscar entry; FFI jury member reveals what happened
)
Zendaya and Tom Holland step out for a low-key date in Los Angeles
)
‘Will go to any extent’: Pakistan vows to defend Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks
)
The Verdict | When precision fails: US commits war crime in Minab school strike, UN finds
)
Trump signs Russia sanctions bill into law, targets Moscow’s energy sector
66 years of the Indus Waters Treaty: How India and Pakistan settled a bitter river dispute
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (September 18, 2026): Lust Stories 3, You+Me, Best of the Best- 8 new titles coming on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Pak: A series of counter terrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
)
Fast bowler Brydon Carse faces no charges over Derby nightclub incident
)
Flying cars in UAE: Ras Al Khaimah signs deal with Chinese company to test new transport
)
Africa is splitting, and a lot sooner than estimated, giving way to a new ocean
)
Trump bans CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House over ‘FAKE NEWS’
)
Trump 2.0: Dark days ahead for America’s ‘imperial presidency’
)
Trump's Greenland dream comes true? POTUS announces 'Infinite Life' deal with Denmark, claims permanent US control
)
Tirupati Laddu ghee adulterated with chemicals, says ED, supplier arrested
)
Who is Khalilur Rahman? All you need to know about 81st UN General Assembly President
)
IIT Bombay student dies by suicide, was caught seeking AI help during exams
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Meet top 5 bowlers in latest ICC T20I rankings
)
Indian Cinema bets big on mythology, brings ancient stories to modern audiences
)
Ukraine plans record $109 bn defence spending, nearly two thirds of budget amid Russia war
)
Russia holds first parliamentary elections since the beginning of the Ukraine war
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Meet top 5 Indian batters with fastest T20I centuries
)
“It was a moment when the president and his wife were relaxing one last time before the start of the trip by having a laugh. It was a moment of closeness,” an Elysee official said.
Macron denies ‘domestic dispute’
Responding to the ongoing debate over the viral video, Macron denied any claims of “domestic dispute”, saying that they were “joking as we often do” and noting that other videos had been misinterpreted. The French president was referring to the videos of him wrongly shared, claiming he had a bag of cocaine or confronting the Turkish president.
“None of these are true” and “everyone needs to calm down”, he said.
Earlier, Macron and his German and British counterparts were wrongly accused by Zakharova and American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who alleged that they were using drugs on a train from Ukraine. In reality, a crumpled tissue was mistaken for a bag of cocaine on low-quality video.
Despite the claims being debunked, the incident prompted a high-level response from the Elysee Palace and the French foreign ministry.
