Is it true that Macron defiantly refused to shake Modi's hand on a summit in Paris?

In February 2025, a video was widely dispersed in which the French president welcomes other leaders of the states, but ignores the outstretched hand of the Indian Prime Minister. We checked the reliability of this video.

The video has gained popularity on the network on February 11. On the video, French President Emmanuel Macron greets politicians in turn: he clicks the hand of US Vice President Jay Di Wansu and UN Secretary General Antoniu Gutterisha, exchanges welcoming kisses with the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Lyayen. In a row, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi sits with them, but Macron passes by him. 

The fact that the French president "defiantly ignored" his Indian colleague told "Channel One","RIA Novosti","Moscow Komsomolets","Says Moscow" And "Sputnik Armenia"As well as Telegram channels"Live broadcast • News"(722 000),"The ax live"(720 000),"Before everyone else. Well, almost"(508 000),"Dmitry Nicotin"(302 000),"Solovyov"(230,000),"NE.SAHAR" (227,000) and others.

February 10–11, 2025 in Paris took place Summit in artificial intelligence. In it Accepted Participation is not only experts in this area, but also representatives of the EU authorities, the USA, Great Britain, China, India and other states. The co -chairs of the forum were Macron and Modi. According to the results of the summit, a declaration was adopted, calling for the open, inclusive and ethical development of artificial intelligence. The United States and Great Britain refused to sign the document, expressing fears that excessive regulation could slow down the development of the industry. 

The video that was dispersed through social networks, as was correctly affirmed in some posts, was removed by the Associated Press agency. Full broadcast of the second day of the conference Published On the agency YouTube channel and lasts more than two and a half hours. The passage, which later became viral, begins at the mark 09:53. In the full version, then Macron greets other leaders, after which the event itself begins. 

However, if you look at the broadcast from the very beginning, it is clear that at the mark 08:38 Macron and Modi go together to the hall where the conference is held. Judging by the video, the leaders met earlier and already managed to communicate in person, so they did not need to greet it again.

Some resources that spread the video admit that Macron and Modi entered the hall together, but still insist that the French president ignored the Indian Prime Minister. However, firstly, the video shows that Modi holds out his hand in order to say hello not with Macron, but with von der Lyaine sitting nearby. Secondly, the events of the summit are also Filmed Reuters agency, and its broadcast shows how two leaders are talking while going to the meeting room. At the mark 50:29 Macron acquires Modi, after which politicians squeeze each other's hands, pose on journalists and go to the room, where the action of a viral video is unfolding. The difference between the two events is only a few minutes. 

Also on the network Can find dozens Joint photographs of Macron and Modi, taken both during the summit and shortly before him.

Macron's refusal to shake Modi's hand in general does not fit into his behavior and rhetoric in those days. February 11, the French president posted fast In the X, in which Modi and Wans arrived in Paris. They are Sitting At the summit next to Macron, which speaks of his special attention to these guests. In addition, on the weekend preceding the forum, Macron declared Journalists: “India and France are two great powers that are very closely connected in their desire to work with the USA and China, but we do not want to depend on anyone.” On February 11, after the completion of the summit, Macron invited Modi to dinner to the city of Kassis in the south of the country, and the next day they went to Marseille, where they held several more meetings and opened a new Indian consulate. French journalists writeWhat this indicates the desire of Macron to strengthen relations with India, which Paris considers as an alternative to rival China and the USA. Given such aspirations of France, it is unlikely that Macron specially publicly humiliated Modi, refusing to shake his hand. 

The video began to spread in the media and social networks on February 11. Factoceries from Les Observateurs, project of the French television channel France 24, They believethat a fragment of the broadcast with misleading the signature first appeared in the accounts of the Sputnik radio in social networks. However, according to "verified", the first videos Published Izvestia (22,000 views) in its Telegram channel on February 11 at 12:50 Moscow time. Further, the video began to spread through other pro-Kmorelev media: after half an hour the news appeared on the site and in the Telegram channel "Newspapers.ru"And in"Sputnik Moldova". Subsequently, video with a similar false signature began to publish English -language users X, some publications Sicked Thousands of views. Dozens posts There are also Hindi - the authors of such publications accused Macron of insulting the country.

After the video began to be so widely discussed in social networks, and the French media refuted the news of the impolite behavior of Macron, some of the media and Telegram channels who distributed the video recognized their mistake. In their row, for example, “Insider UA","Anatoly Shariy" Lenta.ru And RBC (although on the site of the latter still Available Two Notes on the abandonment of handshake, refutation can only be found in the Telegram channel). However, the vast majority of the Russian media that published the video did not refute anything. Moreover, some continue to develop the topic - for example, “Tsargrad"He asked the political scientist to comment on how Macron's behavior could affect the bilateral relations of France and India. The expert's response shared "Gazeta.ru".

Thus, Macron did not shook Modi's hand at the moment when they were removed by the Associated Press, but only because the politicians greeted shortly before and went into the room together. Modi was an honorary guest at the summit, which was repeatedly emphasized during the event and after it.

Photo on the cover: Wikimedia Commons

Teared out of context

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Les Observateurs. No, Macron Did Not Snub Modi At the Paris Ai Summit - Here’s What Really Happened
2. The Guardian. Global Disunity, Energy Concerns and the Shadow of Musk: Key TakeAways from the Paris Ai Summit
3. Is it true that the NBC television channel, broadcasting the meeting of Zelensky and Macron, showed an advertisement for the show "Great Thieves of the 21st Century"?
4. Is it true that the photo shows Macron running away from angry farmers?