[ekimekim]

> I wonder why that C file which maps a more abstract Rust-friendly C-API on top of the existing API can't live inside the Rust directory and build structure

This is more or less what the RfL folks are asking for - they have a Rust API to be used by other Rust code, which uses the existing C API, and are promising to maintain that API themselves. It lives in the Rust "directory".

The C maintainer is rejecting this, seemingly because his goal isn't to find a compromise that works but to completely block the project.