The European Union must be prepared to engage with Russia-aligned Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar to prevent Moscow from using migration as a weapon against Europe, EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner told.
“The fact that Russia is increasing its influence in Libya is precisely our concern, and that’s why we must also engage with Libya,” Brunner said during a summit of European interior ministers in the Bavarian Alps, News.Az reports, citing Politico.
“There is certainly a danger that Russia … [will] use migrants and the migration issue as a whole as a weapon against Europe. This weaponization is taking place, and of course we also fear that Russia intends to do the same with Libya.”
Brunner’s remarks suggest the EU is willing to resume dialogue with Haftar, who controls eastern Libya, despite earlier tensions and European leaders’ reluctance to legitimize him.
Earlier this month, Brunner was expelled from Benghazi after refusing to be photographed with Haftar’s ministers during a visit alongside officials from Italy, Greece, and Malta. Libyan authorities declared Brunner “persona non grata,” citing disrespect to their administration, which is not internationally recognized.
“In Benghazi, we didn’t know who the people sitting opposite us were,” Brunner said. “But we are of course prepared to continue these talks at any time. In my view, this is urgently necessary.”
European nations, particularly Italy and Greece, are alarmed by a surge in migrants arriving by boat from North Africa. While overall irregular crossings into the EU dropped by 20% in the first half of 2025 compared to last year, the central Mediterranean route from Libya remains the busiest, accounting for 39% of all arrivals.
In response, Greece recently suspended the processing of asylum applications for migrants arriving from North Africa for three months, sparking criticism from human rights groups.
EU officials worry that Russia could replicate its hybrid warfare strategy — already seen in Eastern Europe — by facilitating irregular migration flows to destabilize European governments. “The dangers of Putin’s influence in Libya leave us with little choice but to put our options on the table when it comes to migration diplomacy,” Brunner said, noting that talks might include development aid or visa facilitation for Libyans.
The issue is expected to dominate Tuesday’s informal EU interior ministers’ summit in Copenhagen. Earlier, during a July 18 migration meeting on Germany’s Zugspitze mountain, ministers agreed on proposals for stricter EU migration rules, including establishing return hubs outside Europe and enabling deportations to Syria and Afghanistan.
Libya remains deeply divided between the internationally recognized Government of National Unity in Tripoli and Haftar’s Russian-backed Libyan National Army in the east. More than 600,000 displaced people are currently in Libya, according to UNHCR, and reports of severe human rights abuses — including torture and sexual slavery — continue to emerge.
The EU has long relied on deals with Libyan authorities to stem migration, a strategy dating back to former leader Moammar Gadhafi’s rule before his death in 2011.
