The Guardian has reported the concerns of the United States toward the growing Russian influence in Libya.

The British newspaper said fears that Russian mercenaries, unofficially backed by Moscow, are tipping the scales in Libya in favour of Khalifa Haftar appear to have prompted the US to issue a strong warning to Haftar to pull back from Tripoli.

"The US has been accused of taking little interest in the eight months of fighting on the outskirts of Tripoli that started by Haftar's forces last April." It added, saying the US intervention was just to fight ISIS and terrorist threats.

According to The Guardian, reports that Russian mercenaries employed by the Wagner group are tipping the balance in favour of Haftar has raised fears in Washington that Libya could be lost to Russia in the same way as Syria.

It added that previously, the US has appeared neutral by calling for a ceasefire rather than urging one side to withdraw.

"It remains to be seen if this new political support is not countermanded in a tweet by the president, Donald Trump, and whether the statement leads to practical US pressure either on Haftar or his sponsoring allies to pull back." The report indicated.

It also said that the Presidential Council's government appears to have persuaded the US that Russia wants to install an authoritarian government in Libya that will brush aside plans prepared by the UN special envoy, Ghassan Salamé, for elections.

On Thursday, the US called in a statement on Haftar's forces to end their offensive on Tripoli to facilitate cooperation between US and Libya to prevent any unjustifiable external interventions in the country and to boost the rule of legitimacy in Libya.

The US statement underscored support for Libya’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s attempts to exploit the conflict against the will of the Libyan people.