MOSCOW (AP) — A Libyan military chief has visited a Russian aircraft carrier off the coast of the troubled North African country.

The Russian Defense Ministry says Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter visited the Admiral Kuznetsov carrier Wednesday. The carrier and accompanying ships are coming home from a mission off Syria's coast.

The ministry said Hifter was given a tour of the ship and had a video call with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to discuss "acute issues of fighting international terrorist groups in the Middle East."

It is the strongest sign yet of Russian support for Hifter, who is allied with an eastern-based parliament that is at odds with a Western-backed government in the capital, Tripoli.