reuters | In his first public comments since the
fugitive flew in on Sunday, he appeared to make light of the affair
around Edward Snowden, whose flight from U.S. authorities is becoming an
increasing embarrassment for President Barack Obama. Asked by a
journalist about the affair, he smiled fleetingly.
"I
myself would prefer not to deal with these issues. It's like shearing a
piglet: there's a lot of squealing, but there's little wool," he told a
news conference in Finland.
His refusal to hand back Snowden risked deepening a rift with the United States that has also sucked in China and threatens relations between countries that may be essential in settling global conflicts including the Syrian war.
Putin
said the 30-year-old American was in the transit area of Moscow's
Sheremetyevo airport and, not having gone through passport control, was
free to leave.
"The sooner he chooses his final destination, the better it would be for us and for himself," Putin said.
Snowden
has applied for asylum in Ecuador but Quito has said it is still
considering the application and the United States is trying to persuade
the governments of countries where he might head to hand him over. His
plans remain unclear.
"He has not crossed the state's border, and therefore does not need a visa. And any accusations against Russia (of aiding him) are ravings and rubbish," Putin said in response to a question at a news conference during a visit to Finland.
Washington
has gone to great lengths to try to ensure Snowden has nowhere to go to
seek refuge. But Putin said Russia had no extradition treaty with the
United States and suggested Moscow would expel Snowden only if he were a
criminal.
"Thank God, Mr Snowden
committed no crimes on the territory of the Russian Federation," Putin
said in the garden of a presidential residence, with Finnish President
Sauli Niinisto beside him.
Putin
said he hoped relations with the United States would not be affected by
the affair but his words seemed to rebuff U.S. Secretary of State John
Kerry, speaking only hours earlier.
"It
is accurate there is not an extradition treaty between Russia and the
United states, but there are standards of behaviour between sovereign
nations," Kerry said, in Jeddah.
