Military commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, whose forces control eastern Libya, held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday.
Field Marshal Haftar, who backs the House of Representatives government based in the eastern city of Tobruk, has long cultivated close relations with Moscow and relies heavily on Russian mercenary group Wagner for military support.
The Tobruk administration is a rival to the UN-backed Government of National Unity in Tripoli.
Field Marshal Haftar “held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu”, his Libyan Arab Armed Forces group said on social media.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Field Marshal Haftar had held talks with Mr Putin.
“They discussed the situation in Libya and the region as a whole,” Mr Peskov said in comments reported by Russia's state news agency Tass.
It was the first meeting between the two men since 2019, according to Libyan media.
Field Marshal Haftar, who arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, had already held talks with Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov there.
Mr Yevkurov has been a regular visitor to eastern Libya in recent years, most recently on September 17 when he met Field Marshal Haftar, days after floods devastated the coastal city of Derna, killing thousands of people and leaving thousands more missing.
A 2019 assault by Field Marshal Haftar's forces on the government in Tripoli relied heavily on Wagner mercenaries. However, it failed to overcome the Tripoli government's Turkish-backed armed forces.
After an October 2020 ceasefire brought the offensive to an end, Wagner redeployed some of its personnel, including to elsewhere in Africa – where Russia has long sought to boost its influence – and Ukraine, where the group took part in Moscow's invasion.
But despite repeated UN Security Council resolutions calling for the withdrawal of all foreign military forces from Libya, hundreds of Wagner personnel remain stationed in the east, as well as in areas of the desert south under Field Marshal Haftar's control.
Wagner's future plans are uncertain after leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash north-west of Moscow in August.
What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.
The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
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Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
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Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
BIG SPENDERS
Premier League clubs spent £230 million (Dh1.15 billion) on January transfers, the second-highest total for the mid-season window, the Sports Business Group at Deloitte said in a report.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
