Russian, Libyan, Turkish officials meet

The Turkish foreign and defence ministers met the head of Libya's UN-recognized government on Monday in Moscow.

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Hulusi Akar sat down for talks with Fayez al Sarraj as part of a series of meetings following a truce proposed by Russia and Turkey that began Sunday - the first break in fighting in months.

Russia is hosting the meetings which are being closely coordinated with Turkey.

Fayez al Sarraj is also due to meet his rival Khalifa Hifter later on Monday.

The truce came as Libya's civil war was on the brink of a major escalation.

Various foreign players back Libya's two rival governments, and they have recently been stepping up their involvement in the oil-rich nation's conflict.

Libya plunged into turmoil after the 2011 civil war that ousted and killed long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

The eastern government is supported by France, Russia and key Arab countries, including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Turkey, Italy and Qatar support the Tripoli government, which has faced an offensive by Hifter's forces, which closed in on the capital.