Russian deputy defense minister meets with Libyan commander

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov met Thursday with East Libya-based strongman Khalifa Haftar.

Yevkurov and his delegation met with Haftar in the city of Benghazi, said a statement from the Facebook account of the armed forces in eastern Libya.

The statement did not provide further details.

On Wednesday, a Russian delegation led by Yevkurov held a technical meeting with commanders and certain units affiliated with Haftar.

The spokesperson for the eastern armed forces, Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Mismari, said in a social media post that the meeting revolved around countering "terrorism and transnational crimes" within the framework of military and security cooperation.

The Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that the delegation led by Yevkurov had visited Libya at Haftar's invitation.