MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin signaled Wednesday that he expects the broader bilateral relationship with the United States to be unharmed if Russia grants asylum to Edward Snowden, the former intelligence contractor on the run from U.S. authorities.
In reply to a question about the implications of Snowden's case, Putin effectively accused Washington of hypocrisy by providing robust support for human rights advocates in other circumstances but not in a case like Snowden's.
"Bilateral relations, in my opinion, are much more important than the squabbles around the activities of the security services," Putin said while visiting the Trans-Baikal region in eastern Siberia, according to a Kremlin transcript.
Putin and other prominent Russian officials have made clear that they view Snowden as an advocate for human rights and a crusader for personal liberties for his leaks exposing the National Security Agency's surveillance programs.
But Putin reiterated a condition for Snowden. "We warned Mr. Snowden that any of his activities that cause damage to U.S.-Russian relations are unacceptable to us," he said.
New York Times
