While Washington has been accusing Moscow of inflaming the conflict in war-torn Libya by sending mercenaries to fight on behalf of strongman Khalifa Hifter, signs have been emerging that Russia is increasing contacts with the Hifter-aligned eastern-based parliament at the expense of Hifter himself.

On May 7, US State Department spokesman Chris Robinson said Moscow’s support of Hifter had led to “a significant escalation of the conflict and a worsening of the humanitarian situation in Libya." Meanwhile, late last month, the head of Libya’s eastern-based parliament said his political road map, presented to the parliament in late April, was drafted by Russian experts working with parliamentarians in Libya.

During a meeting with eastern Libyan tribes April 27, Aguila Saleh Issa, president of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives, said no secret was made of the presence of Russian political advisers in Libya, adding that these advisers had lent him support after Hifter did not win the fight for Tripoli.

The parliament president also said the Russian political initiatives aimed at starting negotiations with Fayez al-Sarraj’s Government of National Accord in Tripoli. The Government of National Accord is a rival to the Tobruk parliament and was formed under a United Nations-led initiative in December 2015.