Putin says Snowden can feel safe in Russia

[onehandle]

Source: Reuters



MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin described the former U.S. intelligence contractor sought by Washington on espionage charges as a "strange guy" but said he could rest easy that he would not be handed over to U.S. authorities. U.S. President Barack Obama withdrew from a bilateral summit with Putin last month after Moscow granted asylum to Edward Snowden who had leaked details of secret U.S. government surveillance programs.

"He is a strange guy," Putin said of Snowden in an interview with Russian state television and the Associated Press released on Wednesday. "I don't get what he is thinking." "Basically he doomed himself to a pretty difficult life. What will he do next, I don't even imagine. But it's clear now that we won't give him away, he should feel safe here."

Russia has used Snowden to portray itself as a protector of human rights and defuse criticism from the West over its track record in that sphere. It has also pointed to the case as an example of what it says is Washington's double standards. Snowden flew to Moscow from Hong Kong in June and got stuck in the transit zone after the United States revoked his passport and urged countries not to let him pass.

By doing so, Putin said Washington effectively stranded Snowden in Russia. He defended Moscow's decision not to expel him, saying it has no extradition agreement with Washington. The former National Security Agency contractor first met with Russian diplomats while still in Hong Kong, Putin said, but shied away from those talks after Russia lay down the condition that Snowden must halt any activity that could hurt the United States in exchange for shelter.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/putin-says-snowden-feel-safe-russia-142531104.html

[Drale]

1. Until Putin doesn't need any for anything anymore

then Snowden will have an "accident". In Putin's mind, the Cold War is still going on and he needs to get the "jump" on the U.S.

[Iliyah]

2. LOL

Russia protector of human rights, heheheheheheheheheheheheheh

[onehandle]

4. Seriously. nt

[Ian David]

3. Unless Snowden does something gay. n/t

[Cryptoad]

5. Enjoy your Russian Winters Comrade Snowden! nt

[onehandle]

6. He went from living in Hawaii to standing in line for toilet paper.

The book deal he's shopping will probably put him in the express lane though.

[jmowreader]

10. They don't stand in lines anymore

That was the great miracle of the command driven economy. Now Russians can get all the TP they want.

[heaven05]

7. oh please

I don't like snowman's political party, tea drinkers. But he did americans an invaluable service.

[pnwmom]

8. Now he's doing a DISSERVICE by his continuing revelations about US spying on other countries.

Too bad he didn't stick to talking about US internal surveillance, something most people don't want the NSA to be involved in.

[cstanleytech]

14. Revealing info about the phone records I will grant you but not about revealing to China

and other nations details over efforts to gather intelligence in their countries, that was stepping over the line from the act of a true whistleblower and its why its called treason for a reason.

[Hulk]

9. He can "feel safe" in the toilet....

I'm sorry Putin, but it's "still Russia", right? I mean, we are talking Russia. I needn't say more. I'd rather move to Texas, and that's saying something.

Putin is an arrogant, envious jerk-off. It's very apparent from any media coverage on the turd, and very apparent from photos shot in the same room with President Obama. The two men appear to feel very uncomfortable in each other's presence.

This whole "Snowden thing" is nothing more than an opportunity for Putin to stick it in Obama's face. He's such a little man in character, and he seems to feel the only way he can build himself up is to tear Obama down.

He's the leader of a 2nd class nation. I might visit Russia, but I would NEVER want to live there.

[jmowreader]

11. So your GRU agents enjoy the secrets Malchik Snowden provided them?

Now that I know Snowden was using other passwords than his own to log in...who knows what he got.

I know Army recruiters have to put their ID cards in readers to log in and they can only open files on the recruits they are working with, so NSA almost certainly uses the same setup with badges for their operational systems...why the same rig isn't on admin machines I don't know.

[David__77]

12. And that, is basically the end of the story.

I think he will be living in Russia for a very long time.

[truthisfreedom]

13. One of the most surreal stories since the start of the cold war.

It's like putin thinks his last name starts with a capital letter.