Russia’s grant of asylum to Edward Snowden has put a question mark on the much-touted Obama-Putin summit in Moscow in September, with some angry US lawmakers demanding retaliation.
Infuriated by Moscow’s action that came despite President Obama’s personal request to his Russian counterpart, the White House itself said it is “evaluating the utility of a summit” with President Putin, slated to be held after the G-20 summit in St Petersburg. Arguing that Snowden is neither a dissident nor a whistleblower, but a leaker of national secrets who should face the due process of American law, the White House renewed the demand that the former NSA contractor should be returned to the US as soon as possible.
lawmakers lost little time to come down hard on Russia, with top Republican Senator John McCain accusing it of slapping America in the face. His party colleague, Senator lindsey Graham, termed the Russian action a “clear lack of respect for President Obama” and a “game-changer” in US-Russia relations.
“Russia has stabbed us in the back, and each day that Snowden is allowed to roam free is another twist of the knife,” commented senior Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer. He even wanted Obama to seek a shift of the G-20 summit. In the first official comment on the Russian action, White House spokesman Jay Carney said: “We are extremely disappointed that the Russian Government would take this step despite our very clear and lawful requests in public and in private to have Snowden expelled to the United States to face the charges against him.”
As one accused of leaking classified information and charged with three felony counts, Snowden should be returned to the US where he will be accorded full due process and protections, Carney said, noting the Russian action has undermined “a longstanding record of law enforcement cooperation — cooperation that has recently been on the upswing since the Boston Marathon bombings”.
On the Obama-Putin summit, Carney confined himself to the remark: “I don’t have a scheduling announcement for you today. But obviously this is not a positive development. And we have a wide range of interests with the Russians, and we are evaluating the utility of a summit.”
Asked to describe President Obama’s personal level of disappointment over this turn of events, Carney commented: “His level of disappointment is reflected in the words I just spoke. We’re very disappointed, extremely disappointed in Russia’s decision to provide temporary asylum to Snowden.” The spokesman, however, refrained from ascribing motives to the action.
Snowden himself, in remarks set out in a Wikileaks statement, commented: “Over the past eight weeks we have seen the Obama administration show no respect for international or domestic law, but in the end the law is winning. I thank the Russian Federation for granting me asylum in accordance with its laws and international obligations.” Wikileaks said Russia has done the right thing by granting Snowden temporary asylum for one year that would afford him “the right to live in and travel around Russia, where he can now plan his next steps in safety.”
Snowden’s father, lon Snowden, said in media interviews that the FBI had wanted to fly him to Moscow to encourage his son to return to the United States, but he declined because there was no guarantee that he would be able to see his son or speak with him. Also, he said he was not at all confident that his son would get a fair trial in the US.