We must work with Libyans to stop Putin weaponizing migrants, top EU official says

ZUGSPITZE, Bavaria —  The European Union must remain ready to negotiate with Russia-aligned Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar in order to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from further weaponizing migration, EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner told POLITICO.

“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 in a Friday interview with POLITICO at a summit of European interior ministers in the Bavarian Alps. “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 comments come just weeks after Haftar humiliated Brussels by ejecting the migration commissioner from Benghazi during a visit to the country with ministers from Italy, Greece and Malta, who are seeking to curb the flow of migrants entering their countries from North Africa.

Libyan officials at the time declared Brunner “persona non grata” because he and the other members of the European diplomatic delegation, fearful of being perceived as legitimizing an administration most of the world does not recognize, refused to be photographed during a meeting with Haftar’s ministers, according to a POLITICO reconstruction based on conversations with officials.

Brunner’s comments suggest the EU intends to resume talks with Haftar despite European leaders’ reservations about dealing with the strongman. The warlord controls the Libyan National Army and runs eastern Libya as a military dictatorship while increasing cooperation with Putin.

“In Benghazi, we didn’t know who the people sitting opposite us were,” Brunner said. “It wasn’t entirely clear in terms of the process. And that’s why, in the end, the talks didn’t take place. But we are of course prepared to continue these talks at any time. In my view, this is urgently necessary,” Brunner added.

“There are still channels of communication on a technical level that work very well,” he said of talks between the EU and officials representing Haftar.

Growing European urgency

Europe is acting out of a growing sense of urgency as Italy and Greece sound an alarm over the rising number of asylum seekers arriving by boat from Libya. While irregular crossings into the EU dropped 20 percent in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period the year before, arrivals via the central Mediterranean route from North Africa increased, keeping the route the busiest of all into the bloc, accounting for 39 percent of all irregular arrivals.

In response to the surge in asylum seekers coming from Libya, the Greek government suspended the processing of asylum applications for those migrants arriving in Greece by sea from North Africa for an initial period of three months, a move that human rights organizations have sharply criticized.

At the center of the EU’s concern are fears that Putin will do with Libya what he has already attempted in parts of Eastern Europe, where he has waged what EU officials say is a hybrid war on the bloc that includes weaponizing migration. EU countries accuse Minsk and Moscow of facilitating irregular crossings of asylum seekers through Poland and Lithuania, a tactic meant to put pressure on European governments by sowing political discord and boosting support for anti-immigration, often Russia-friendly parties.

Brunner said the dangers of Putin’s influence in Libya left Europe with little choice but to hold talks with Haftar and “put our options on the table when it comes to migration diplomacy.” That would entail coupling migration negotiations with issues like development aid for Libya or making it easier for Libyans to get European visas, Brunner said.

On Tuesday, EU interior ministers are expected to address the issue of how to treat Libya during an informal summit in Copenhagen that Brunner is attending.

At a July 18 migration summit atop Germany’s highest mountain, the Zugspitze, interior ministers sought to agree on joint proposals for stricter European migration rules, reaching consensus on a range of measures including the establishment of return hubs for rejected asylum seekers outside the EU and enabling deportations to Syria and Afghanistan. The summit was jointly organized by Germany and France and attended by other EU nations with hardline migration stances, such as Poland and Denmark.

Libya remains a particular concern for EU leaders. Over 600,000 displaced people reside in the North African country, according to UNHCR numbers. The EU has provided funds to the Libyan Coast Guard to prevent migrants from reaching the bloc despite widespread reports of human rights violations.

In 2023, the United Nations published a report citing evidence of crimes against humanity committed against migrants in Libya, including  “overwhelming” evidence of systematic torture and sexual slavery.

The western part of Libya is controlled by the internationally recognized Government of National Unity, with its capital in Tripoli. Haftar controls the eastern part of the country, with both Western and Russian officials vying for influence there.

European leaders have a long history of dealing with Libyan strongmen in an effort to choke off irregular migration from Africa, going back to former leader Moammar Gadhafi, who was killed in an uprising in 2011.