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East Libya strongman Haftar meets Putin on Russia visit

Military strongman Khalifa Haftar, whose forces dominate eastern Libya, is seen being welcomed by Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov at a Moscow military airfield on Tuesday in this photograph released by his forces
— Benghazi (Libya) (AFP)

Military strongman Khalifa Haftar, whose forces dominate eastern Libya, held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, his forces and the Kremlin said.

Haftar, who sponsors a rival administration to Libya's UN-backed government in Tripoli, has long cultivated close relations with Moscow and relies heavily on Russian mercenary group Wagner for military support.

Haftar "held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu", his Libyan Arab Armed Forces said on its official Facebook page without giving further details.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Haftar's meeting with Putin. "They discussed the situation in Libya and the region as a whole," he said in comments reported by Russia's state news agency TASS.

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