Khalifa Haftar is looking for air-defense systems to protect him against rival forces in Tripoli, according to people close to his self-styled Libyan National Army, Bloomberg reported on Sunday, saying that a defense accord is being hammered out between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Haftar following their first-ever meeting in Moscow in late September.
Bloomberg added that Haftar also wanted training for his air force pilots and special forces, and in return, a handful of air bases currently occupied by Wagner paramilitaries would be upgraded to host Russian forces.
This Russian threat is being taken “very seriously” by the US administration, said Jonathan Winer, a former US special envoy to Libya. He added that keeping Russia out of the Mediterranean had been a key strategic objective, reiterating that if Russia got ports in Libya, that would give it the ability to spy on all of the European Union.
According to Bloomberg, Russian warships may also get permanent docking rights at a Libyan port, most likely Tobruk, located just a few hundred kilometers across the Mediterranean from Greece and Italy, according to other people with knowledge of the talks.
“However, that is a longer-term prospect because it will require substantial upgrading of port facilities, they said. Russia so far has only one naval base in the Mediterranean, at Syria’s Tartus.” The newspaper explained.
Haftar’s deepening ties with Moscow have raised concern in Washington and prompted a series of high-level visits to the country this year in a bid to persuade him to change course.
“For Haftar, the key is to maintain his armed forces and the US isn’t giving him any other option but to stick with Russia as his main partner.” Kirill Semenov from the Kremlin-founded Russian International Affairs Center said.
