Post date: Aug 07, 2013 11:17:16 AM
U.S. President Barack Obama appears on NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" to talk aboutRussia granting Snowden asylum and the worldwide embassy closings.
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 06, 2013) ("THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO") - U.S. President Barack Obama confirmed on Tuesday (August 6) that he would go toRussia this fall for a G20 summit but said he was "disappointed" that Russia granted temporary asylum to former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden.
Speaking on NBC's "The Tonight Show" with host Jay Leno, Obama said Moscow sometimes slipped into a Cold War mentality, despite being cooperative with the United States on some issues, including counter terrorism efforts in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing."I was disappointed because, you know, even though we don't have an extradition treaty with them, traditionally we have tried to respect if there's a law breaker or alleged law breaker in their country, we evaluate it, and we try to work with them. They didn't do that with us, and in some ways it's reflective of some underlying challenges that we've had with Russia lately," Obama said.
Obama was not asked and did not mention whether he would attend a separate meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his Russian trip. That meeting was put in question afterMoscow rejected U.S. pleas and granted Snowden a year's asylum. The White House has said it is evaluating whether a one-on-one with Putin makes sense.
Washington wants Snowden, who was in hiding in Hong Kong before flying to Moscow in June, to be sent home to face criminal charges including espionage for disclosing secret American internet and telephone surveillance programs.
"There have been times where they slip back into Cold War thinking and a Cold War mentality," Obama said of Russia.
"What I say to President Putin is, that's the past and ... we've got to think about the future. And there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to cooperate more effectively than we do."
During the interview, Obama also said the recent threat that caused the United States to close its embassies throughout the Middle East was significant.
"It's significant enough that we're taking every precaution," Obama said.
"It's a reminder that for all the progress we've made ... this radical, violent extremism is still out there," Obama said. "We've got to stay on top of it."
The U.S. State Department issued a worldwide travel alert on Friday warning Americans that al Qaeda may be planning attacks in August, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. It initially announced the embassy closures would be only for Sunday, then extended the closures of some by a week.
The President also offered his thoughts on Snowden.
"Well, we don't know yet exactly what he did other than what he said on the Internet, and it's important for me not to prejudge something. Hopefully at some point he'll go to trial, and he will have a lawyer and due process, and we can make those decisions," Obama said.