Moscow: Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden today awaited permission to leave the Moscow airport where he has been stuck for over a month, as the United States stepped up pressure on Russia to send him back home.
Reports indicated that Russian authorities were preparing to let Snowden leave the transit zone of Sheremetyevo airport but then - in mysterious circumstances - he failed to emerge.
Snowden has applied for asylum in Russia and is now awaiting a document that would allow him to formally cross the border and move freely in Russia while his application is being considered - a prospect the United States has said would be "deeply disappointing".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with US Secretary of State John Kerry about Snowden's case Wednesday but it was not clear if their discussion had an impact on the fugitive's fate.
Washington wants to put the 30-year-old former National Security Agency contractor on trial for revealing details of vast US surveillance programmes, but Moscow has rejected demands to hand him over.
The US ambassador in Russia on Thursday reiterated that Washington wants Moscow to hand over Snowden, despite the absence of an extradition agreement between the two countries.
"The US is not asking for 'extradition', but simply the return of Mr Snowden. We have sent many people back to Russia," Ambassador Michael McFaul wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning.
The Russian foreign ministry made no mention of Kerry and Lavrov discussing Snowden's fate, merely saying on its website that the two diplomats spoke on bilateral relations and the situation in Syria.
But US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told journalists that Kerry called Lavrov after learning that Snowden was to receive a temporary document allowing him to leave the transit zone.
"Any move that would allow him to depart the airport would be deeply disappointing," she said. "Our belief is the only place he should be moving is back to the United States."
Snowden is believed to have stayed in the airport since June 23, after arriving there from Hong Kong.
'He hasn't been given the document'
A flurry of activity at the Moscow airport Wednesday followed reports on Russian news agencies that the US fugitive had received a note from the migration service that his application is being processed, legally allowing him to exit the transit zone.
A strong police presence in the terminal where he is believed to be staying also led people to believe that Snowden was about to formally cross the border after a month in airport limbo.
However, these expectations were suddenly squashed by pro-Kremlin lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, who met with Snowden Wednesday, bringing him some clothing and books, and then facing the media alone.
"As of today, this document (allowing him to leave) has not yet been given (to him)," he told the throng of waiting reporters.
There was no explanation for why the plan appeared to have been thwarted at the last minute, and whether pressure from Washington somehow kept Snowden in the airport.
Full processing of an application for temporary asylum, which Snowden requested on July 16, takes up to three months, authorities have said.
Snowden met with a group of 13 rights activists, lawyers, and lawmakers on July 12. He has shied away from the press and asked not to be photographed due to safety concerns.
The Kremlin has sought to keep Snowden's case at arm's length, but observers said the activists' meeting at the state-controlled airport would not been possible without government involvement.
Kucherena said Snowden wants to stay in Russia and may even apply for citizenship and seek a local job.
With the help of Sarah Harrison, an employee of anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, the 30-year-old applied for asylum in 27 countries, but most denied him a safe haven under pressure from Washington.
Three countries in Latin America known for their anti-US stance - Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela - have said they would be willing to give him refuge.
Reports indicated that Russian authorities were preparing to let Snowden leave the transit zone of Sheremetyevo airport but then - in mysterious circumstances - he failed to emerge.
Snowden has applied for asylum in Russia and is now awaiting a document that would allow him to formally cross the border and move freely in Russia while his application is being considered - a prospect the United States has said would be "deeply disappointing".
Washington wants to put the 30-year-old former National Security Agency contractor on trial for revealing details of vast US surveillance programmes, but Moscow has rejected demands to hand him over.
Advertisement
"The US is not asking for 'extradition', but simply the return of Mr Snowden. We have sent many people back to Russia," Ambassador Michael McFaul wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning.
Advertisement
But US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told journalists that Kerry called Lavrov after learning that Snowden was to receive a temporary document allowing him to leave the transit zone.
Advertisement
Snowden is believed to have stayed in the airport since June 23, after arriving there from Hong Kong.
Advertisement
A flurry of activity at the Moscow airport Wednesday followed reports on Russian news agencies that the US fugitive had received a note from the migration service that his application is being processed, legally allowing him to exit the transit zone.
Advertisement
However, these expectations were suddenly squashed by pro-Kremlin lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, who met with Snowden Wednesday, bringing him some clothing and books, and then facing the media alone.
"As of today, this document (allowing him to leave) has not yet been given (to him)," he told the throng of waiting reporters.
There was no explanation for why the plan appeared to have been thwarted at the last minute, and whether pressure from Washington somehow kept Snowden in the airport.
Full processing of an application for temporary asylum, which Snowden requested on July 16, takes up to three months, authorities have said.
Snowden met with a group of 13 rights activists, lawyers, and lawmakers on July 12. He has shied away from the press and asked not to be photographed due to safety concerns.
The Kremlin has sought to keep Snowden's case at arm's length, but observers said the activists' meeting at the state-controlled airport would not been possible without government involvement.
Kucherena said Snowden wants to stay in Russia and may even apply for citizenship and seek a local job.
With the help of Sarah Harrison, an employee of anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, the 30-year-old applied for asylum in 27 countries, but most denied him a safe haven under pressure from Washington.
Three countries in Latin America known for their anti-US stance - Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela - have said they would be willing to give him refuge.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Barack Obama Wants Joe Biden To Pull Out Of US Presidential Race: Report Russia Sentences Ex-US Paratrooper To 13 Years In Jail On Drug Charges Ivan The Terrible: Face Of History's "Cruellest Man" Re-Created 440 Years After His Death World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Barack Obama Wants Joe Biden To Pull Out Of US Presidential Race: Report Relationship Timeline Of Hardik Pandya, Wife Who "Parted Ways": 5 Facts NEET PG 2024: Test Cities Out For Postgraduate Medical Entrance Exam After 53 Years, Mortar Shells From 1971 Indo-Pak War Found In Fish Pond "Humanitarian Crisis Due To Israel-Hamas Conflict Concerning": India At UN Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.