Russia is negotiating the construction of a military base in Libya, which will be a threat to the entire European Union - Bloomberg

Russia is planning to establish a naval base in eastern Libya, which will help it create a military pladzar on Europe's southern border and keep an eye on the entire European Union.

Source. This was reported by Bloomberg with reference to knowledgeable sources.

According to the publication, work is currently underway on a defense agreement between Vladimir Putin and the commander of Libya's eastern troops, Khalifa Haftar, after their meeting in Moscow in late September.

Haftar, 79, controls many of the major oil facilities in Libya, an OPEC member with approximately 40% of Africa's oil reserves.

Haftar needs air defense systems to defend himself against forces rivaling him in Tripoli and backed by the Turkish military. He also needs training for air force and special forces pilots. In exchange, several air bases currently home to Wagner PMC fighters will likely be converted to accommodate Russian troops, Bloomberg writes.

According to people familiar with the talks between Haftar and Putin, Russian warships may also be granted permanent berthing rights in one of Libya's ports, most likely in Tobruk, located just a few hundred kilometers across the Mediterranean from Greece and Italy.

According to former US Special Envoy to Libya Jonathan Wiener, the US administration takes this threat "very seriously."

"Keeping Russia out of the Mediterranean was a key strategic objective – if Russia gets ports there, it will give it the ability to spy on the entire European Union."

So far, Russia has only one naval base in the Mediterranean – in Tartus, Syria.

Moscow is also seeking to establish a naval base on the Red Sea in Sudan, which would provide it with permanent access to the Suez Canal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Peninsula, but the civil conflict in that country could delay these plans.