A video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron is circulating on social media with a sensational claim that PM Modi admitted that Pakistan shot down Indian Rafale jets and ‘pleaded’ with France for help.
Vishvas News investigated the viral post and found that this video is a complete fabrication. The audio has been digitally altered to spread misinformation.
What is the viral post?
Instagram user 'iamsohail.007' (archive link) uploaded the viral video on February 18, 2026. In it, PM Modi is shown saying, "When Pakistan destroyed our Rafale jets, the whole world started mocking India. People started saying, 'What kind of a world leader is India? No one will even venture into India.' Then we told Macron that India is in trouble. If we're being mocked, you're also responsible for it. If you don't stand with us, we'll use the remaining Rafale jets to drive us around India. When I pleaded with him with my 56-inch chest, I wanted to criticise him for agreeing. Now, whether Pakistan shoots down 10 or 200 of our jets, it doesn't matter to India, because France is now our defence partner."
Investigation
To verify the viral claim, we extracted key frames from the video and searched them with Google Lens. This led us to an event that was livestreamed from the BJP Delhi Facebook page. The viral clip appears within the first minute of the video. In it, PM Modi is heard saying, "Delegates from both countries, friends from the media, Namaskar. I am delighted to welcome my dear friend President Macron to Mumbai. Last year, he invited me to the AI Action Summit in France. At that time, we visited Marseille, France's largest port and a major gateway to France and all of Europe. Marseille is the same city from where our Indian soldiers set foot in Europe during World War I."
We then watched the full video, but PM Modi was not heard saying anything as claimed in the viral post.
The video of this event can be accessed on the Press Trust of India (PTI)'s X handle, uploaded on February 17, 2026. According to the statement, "In Mumbai, PM Modi said, 'My dear friend President Emmanuel Macron, delegates from both countries, and members of the media, Namaste. Last year, President Macron invited me to France for the AI Action Summit. This time, when President Macron comes to India for the India AI Impact Summit, we have the opportunity to welcome him at the Gateway of India, Mumbai."
A video of this event was also uploaded to PM Modi's YouTube channel on February 17, 2026. It reads, "PM Modi's remarks during the joint press meet with French President Emmanuel Macron."
The video of this press meet, dated February 17, 2026, can also be seen on Dainik Jagran's YouTube channel.
This proves that a video clip from this event has been made viral with a false claim and an altered voice.
Regarding this, we contacted Mumbai-based journalist Varun Singh, who confirmed that no such statement about Pakistan or Rafale losses was made during this gathering.
According to the profile of the Instagram user who shared the viral video, the account was created in October 2014 and is based in the UAE. The user has changed the account name five times, and it was verified in February 2026. Some inflammatory posts against India have also been made from this account.
Conclusion: Vishvas News found in its investigation that the viral video is digitally altered. Prime Minister Modi never made any statement regarding Pakistan's shooting down of Rafale jets. The original event was a diplomatic meeting focused on Artificial Intelligence and innovation.