A Kremlin insider recently said Russia is trying to position itself as a conflict mediator and contain ISIS, other terrorist groups, and the ambitions of the west.
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US lawmakers urge action in Libya to counter Russia's recent foothold
Both Russia and the US say they want to contain ISIS and terrorism in Libya, but economic interests also appear to be behind some recent moves.
President Donald Trump at the White House.
In 2004, former President George Bush made a deal with Gaddhafi to lift economic sanctions on Libya, allowing American oil companies back into the oil-rich nation. Eni, an Italian oil company, also went back into Libya.
But by 2009, this new relationship began to sour. Oil prices fell dramatically, and Gaddhafi threatened to nationalize the oil companies.
By 2011, the Libyan leader was gone with the help of US and NATO air strikes. The US role in the Libyan revolution was spearheaded by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who joked of Gaddhafi, "We came, we saw, he died!"
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It was at this time that then Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's attitude toward the US changed.
He saw the move as "a case study in Western intervention: Stir up protests, give them rhetorical support and diplomatic cover, and, if that doesn’t work, send in the fighter jets."
“The bottom line here is Libya, which the United States wants to snap up as soon as possible,” Andrea Cucco, editor-in-chief of the Italian Difesa Online news portal, recently told pro-Russian news agency Sputnik, saying sources in Libya believed the US wanted to "carve up" the oil-rich North African country.
The US, she said, "can barely stand the role Russia is playing in ending the crisis in Libya."
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