Defence Minister Salah El-Din Al-Nimroush has called on the United States and its allies to assist the Libyan government in its efforts to oust the Russian forces deployed in Libya.

The Defence Minister's statements were made to the "white paper" presented by the head of the Democracy and Human Rights Foundation, Emadeddin Muntasser, to the decision-makers in Washington.

In the recently published white paper entitled "Biden Administration Options for and Benefits of Countering Russian Influence in Libya" the defence minister highlights the Russian threat to Libya, warning that Moscow's influence is expanding well beyond military occupation.

"This expansion is now taking the form of political and media meddling. Our planned elections are in danger and can only be protected by a robust and activist strategy that would involve support from our allies in the free world," Al-Nimroush said.

"With more support and resources, our conventional forces can play a leading role in defending Libya," the minister added, emphasizing that there is a genuine will to build a strong and reliable army.

The author of the paper Emadeddin Muntasser confirmed to The Libya Observer that the white paper was forwarded to the US National Security Adviser, "Jack Sliven "and other members of the US government, pointing out that this paper was also rolled out in government circles in Rome, Berlin, Paris, London, and Ankara.

In a similar statement to Muntasser's paper, the Presidential Council member Muhammad Ammari warned that "Wagner's forces will not abide by any agreement to withdraw from Libya."

"The Wagner Group provides the Russian government with the power and means to influence Libyan political, military, and economic policy," Ammari said.

The PC member called on the EU allies and the United States to assist in removing the Wagner Group "by all means possible and at the earliest opportunity," stressing that the Russian expansion is not only a threat to Libya but also to European and American national security.

Ammari indicated that the head of the Wagner Company expressed this in secret meetings with Libyan officials last June when demanding at least 30% of the Libyan oil revenues be allocated to Haftar, in addition, to declaring their desire to establish a military base in eastern Libya.

According to Muntasser, his paper is being used as a source of information for a BBC documentary on the Russian Wagner forces in Libya.