Edward Snowden may be settling in for a long stay in Russia, his lawyer indicated on Wednesday, saying the National Security Agency leaker plans to start studying the Russian language and culture and that, for the time being, Russia is his final destination.
“Russia is his final destination for now. He doesn’t look further into the future than that,” Snowden’s lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said on state TV.
Kucherena’s comments came after the lawyer met with Snowden in the transit zone of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo international airport amid Russian news reports that Snowden was about to receive documents that would allow him to leave the airport where he’s apparently been marooned for more than a month.
Some Russian news agencies cited unidentified sources as saying Kucherena would deliver the documents to Snowden, but the lawyer later said there was no such paperwork. Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Russia. He said his client’s asylum status has not been resolved and he will stay at the airport for now. Meanwhile, the White House said that it was “seeking clarity” from Russian authorities about the status of NSA leaker Edward Snowden.