Snowden may seek Russian citizenship
Source: Agencies |
July 18, 2013, Thursday
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Former US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden has no plans to leave Russia soon and does not rule out eventually applying for citizenship, a lawyer helping the American with his bid for temporary asylum in Russia said yesterday.
Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said Snowden believed it would be unsafe to try to travel to Latin America soon because of efforts to return him to the United States to face espionage charges.
President Vladimir Putin yesterday gave his clearest signal yet that he will not let a dispute over Snowden derail Russia's relations with the US.
Snowden, who is wanted by Washington for leaking details of US intelligence programs, is seeking temporary asylum in Russia after spending more than three weeks at a Moscow airport trying to fly to a country that will shelter him.
Asked during a visit to the eastern Siberian town of Chita whether the affair would cast a shadow over a US-Russia summit due in September in Moscow, Putin told reporters: "Bilateral relations, in my opinion, are far more important than squabbles about the activities of the secret services."
Putin did not say whether Russia would grant Snowden's temporary asylum request, but made clear he was still insisting the American must agree to do nothing to harm the United States.
"We warned Mr Snowden that any action by him that could cause damage to Russian-American relations is unacceptable for us," Putin said.
Russia would take an independent decision when deciding on Snowden's fate, but maintaining relations with Washington was also a "national objective," Putin added.
Snowden, 30, says the US has prevented him from flying to Latin America by putting pressure on other countries not to help him escape US justice.
"Mr Snowden, as I understand it, never intended to stay here, in Russia, forever. He has even said so himself," Putin said.
Putin said rights advocates knew they could face certain costs for their activities, and it often became particularly "complicated" if they criticized the US. "The example with the Bolivian president's plane showed this," he said, referring to a decision by four US allies in Europe to prevent Evo Morales' plane entering their airspace because they thought Snowden was on board.
Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said Snowden believed it would be unsafe to try to travel to Latin America soon because of efforts to return him to the United States to face espionage charges.
President Vladimir Putin yesterday gave his clearest signal yet that he will not let a dispute over Snowden derail Russia's relations with the US.
Snowden, who is wanted by Washington for leaking details of US intelligence programs, is seeking temporary asylum in Russia after spending more than three weeks at a Moscow airport trying to fly to a country that will shelter him.
Asked during a visit to the eastern Siberian town of Chita whether the affair would cast a shadow over a US-Russia summit due in September in Moscow, Putin told reporters: "Bilateral relations, in my opinion, are far more important than squabbles about the activities of the secret services."
Putin did not say whether Russia would grant Snowden's temporary asylum request, but made clear he was still insisting the American must agree to do nothing to harm the United States.
"We warned Mr Snowden that any action by him that could cause damage to Russian-American relations is unacceptable for us," Putin said.
Russia would take an independent decision when deciding on Snowden's fate, but maintaining relations with Washington was also a "national objective," Putin added.
Snowden, 30, says the US has prevented him from flying to Latin America by putting pressure on other countries not to help him escape US justice.
"Mr Snowden, as I understand it, never intended to stay here, in Russia, forever. He has even said so himself," Putin said.
Putin said rights advocates knew they could face certain costs for their activities, and it often became particularly "complicated" if they criticized the US. "The example with the Bolivian president's plane showed this," he said, referring to a decision by four US allies in Europe to prevent Evo Morales' plane entering their airspace because they thought Snowden was on board.
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