From USA Today:
The United States appeared no closer Tuesday to getting back U.S. spy leaker Edward Snowden, who remains in Russia trying to win political asylum and protection from a U.S. extradition request on charges of espionage.
Russian President Vladimir Putin cleared up the mystery of where exactly Snowden is amid reports in Russian media claiming he had been whisked to an Ecuadorean embassy.
Putin announced that Snowden is in the transit area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, and he said that Russia would not hand him over to the United States, with whom it does not have an extradition agreement.
Putin, who was speaking while on a visit to Finland, said that Russian security agencies “didn’t work and aren’t working” with Snowden. He said Snowden has not crossed the border officially into Russia and is free to go anywhere.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected statements from the Obama administration that Russia must hand over Snowden as the USA has done often for Russia’s wanted fugitives.
“We consider as absolutely unfounded and unacceptable the attempts we are seeing to accuse Russia of violating U.S. law and almost of conspiracy, accompanied by threats against us,” he said. “There is no lawful basis for this kind of behavior from American officials.” he said.
