Russian President Vladimir Putin is continuing to thumb his nose at U.S. authorities over Edward Snowden, the former spy agency contractor who leaked information about the U.S. government’s sweeping surveillance program and is believed to be in Moscow.
On a trip to Finland Tuesday, Putin told reporters that Snowden is still in the transit area of Moscow’s airport, and thus technically not on Russian soil. The Russian leader also said Russian law enforcement has no basis to arrest or extradite him to the United States, contending he is a “free man,” though he pressed Snowden to choose a final destination soon.
The statements from the Russian president defiantly rejected U.S. requests for cooperation in nabbing Snowden but were far more tempered than Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s comments. At a news conference Tuesday, Lavrov angrily lashed out at U.S. officials who demanded Russia hand over Snowden or face diplomatic consequences, saying American attempts to blame his country for harboring him are “groundless and unacceptable.”
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