Vladimir Putin tells US ‘no extradiction treaty,’ no Edward Snowden
President Vladimir Putin revealed Tuesday that Edward Snowden was indeed in Moscow but would not be handed over, confirming that there was no extradition treaty between the two nations.
“Mr Snowden really did fly into Moscow,” Putin said on an official visit to Finland on Tuesday. “For us it was completely unexpected,” he claimed. “I hope this won’t affect the businesslike nature of our relations with the United States,” Putin said. “I hope our partners will understand this.”
The White House responded on Tuesday by saying Russia had a “clear legal basis” to expel Snowden, which National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said was the status of his travel documents – the US has revoked his passport – and the pending espionage charges against him.
“Accordingly, we are asking the Russian government to take action to expel Mr. Snowden without delay and to build upon the strong law enforcement cooperation we have had, particularly since the Boston Marathon bombing,” she said.
Snowden fled Hong Kong on Sunday morning to travel via Moscow to an undisclosed third country, according to WikiLeaks, which said it helped his travel.
He has requested political asylum from Ecuador.
Secretary of State John F. Kerry has said repeatedly over the past few days that Russia was defying international convention by allowing an American fugitive to remain unhindered in a transit zone at the airport.
“There are standards of behavior between sovereign nations,” said Kerry, who is traveling in Saudi Arabia. “There is common law. There is respect for rule of law.”
“We are not looking for a confrontation,” he said. “We are not ordering anything. We are simply requesting.”
[…] He is reportedly in Moscow. […]