Polygraph
Monday 19 May 2025
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![Sergey Lavrov]()
Sergey Lavrov
Russian foreign minister
"We never had the relations with China which were that good, that confidential, that long-term build and that would be enjoying support of the peoples of both countries."
Read more...Relations between Russia and China are indeed closer than at any point since the 1950s, but they are shaped more by pragmatism, economic necessity and shared opposition to Western influence than by deep trust or historical affinity. -
![Michael Makuei Lueth]()
Michael Makuei Lueth
South Sudan minister of information, communication, technology and postal services
“[The] situation in Juba is made to be fragile by certain elements so that people live in fear. ... Let me assure the people of Juba and people of South Sudan in general there is no fear, don’t rely on all this nonsense that you read in social media.”
Read more...The situation in South Sudan is fragile and getting worse, with growing political and military instability. The claims made by the information minister do not reflect the reality on the ground. -
![Lin Jian]()
Lin Jian
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson
"China supports Panama's sovereignty over the Canal, and stays committed to maintaining the status of the Canal as a permanently neutral international waterway. China has never engaged in the management and operation of the Canal. Never ever have we interfered. The so-called China's control over the Canal is nothing but a lie."
Read more...Through the Chinese government's Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese companies acquired or built major port facilities in 129 strategic locations, including the Panama Canal. While Beijing claims neutrality, critics argue that China may have geopolitical motives, such as increasing influence over global chokepoints. -
![Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs]()
Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Khartoum, Sudan
“Kenya’s irresponsible stance in embracing the genocide-linked RSF militia, seeking to legitimize its unprecedented atrocities, isolates the country both regionally and internationally, placing it in the category of a rogue state that defies international norms.”
Source: MFA Sudan, March 3, 2025Read more...Analysts argue that Kenya’s hosting of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces and the M23 militias in the Democratic Republic of Congo undermine its regional and international standing. -
![Lin Jian]()
Lin Jian
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson
“China believes that the elections [in Tajikistan] are democratic, open and transparent, and demonstrate the political openness and inclusiveness of the country.”
Read more...Neither Western monitors, nor media, were allowed to observe a poll characterized by the lack of genuine opposition in a deeply authoritarian state. -
![Dmitry Kiselyov]()
Dmitry Kiselyov
CEO, state-owned Rossiya Segodnya media group
“Europe also has no weapons — the warehouses are empty.”
Read more...European nations’ militaries are superior to Russia in key areas, including capability of rapid production increases and technological advancement. -
![Sputnik Africa]()
Sputnik Africa
News source focusing on Africa and the world
"The Central African Republic significantly succeeded in combating illegal armed groups with Moscow's support."
Read more...Fourteen militia groups control two-thirds of the Central African Republic (C.A.R.) and parts of the capital city, Bangui. Russian military involvement has been stained with gross human rights violations, corruption and appropriation of natural resources. -
![African Hub]()
African Hub
X content creator
"President Felix Tshisekedi of DR Congo has offered the U.S. control over the country's vast minerals to persuade President Trump to send troops against the alleged Rwanda-backed M23 rebels."
Read more...Tshisekedi's government invited the U.S. and EU to purchase minerals directly from the DRC, bypassing Rwanda-backed M23 fighters. There was no request for U.S. troops to intervene in the conflict. -
![Vladimir Putin]()
Vladimir Putin
Russian president
“It is important to emphasize that Russia possesses significantly — I want to stress this — significantly larger resources of this kind than Ukraine. Our historical territories that have become part of the Russian Federation again also hold certain reserves. We are ready to work there with international partners, including Americans.”
Read more...Russia signed at least five treaties guaranteeing Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russian annexation of Ukrainian regions violates these agreements. It is also illegal under international law, which recognizes these territories as belonging to Ukraine. -
![Fatima Payman]()
Fatima Payman
Australian senator
"… incredible place that Iran is, allowing for women to participate in the workforce, to ensure that they have a voice, and their voices are heard. They're involved in the democratic process …"
Read more...Iran imposes severe restrictions on women's ability to speak and assemble freely, alongside broader limitations on civic and political rights. -
![Andrei Kelin]()
Andrei Kelin
Russian Ambassador to the UK
"Zelenskyy said he would quickly make peace with Russia, but instead, he started a war."
Read more...Russia's war on Ukraine began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and covert operations in the Donbas region. By the time Zelenskyy became president in 2019, the conflict already had lasted five years. On Feb. 24, 2022, Putin initiated a full-scale invasion after months of disinformation. -
![Juvenal Marizamunda]()
Juvenal Marizamunda
Rwandan minister of defense
“Rwanda has never attacked Congo and will never do so. What we have done is to ensure that nothing can cross from Congo and jeopardize our security.”
Read more...Multiple investigations, including by the United Nations, have shown that Rwandan forces are fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo alongside M23 rebels. The United States has also sanctioned several senior Rwandan commanders for aiding the M23 rebels in the DRC.
