The Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted that Russian mercenaries are fighting in Tripoli, saying they don't represent the interests of Moscow and are not getting paid by the government.
In a joint press conference with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday, following their meeting in Moscow, Putin said there are many mercenaries in conflict zones including several fighters, according to him, who were transferred from the deesclation zone in Syria's Idlib to Libya.
Putin added that he hopes the warring parties in Libya would commit to a ceasefire at midnight on January 12 as per the proposal he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made days ago.
He added that after the ceasefire starts in Libya, there will be more talks with the two sides of the conflict.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Berlin will host peace talks on Libya amid calls by Russia and Turkey for a ceasefire, hoping calls will receive positive cooperation from the Libyan parties.
Likewise, Putin said it's about time to hold peace talks on Libya in Berlin, saying the conflict in the country should end and the fighting in Tripoli should be ceased.
