Post date: Dec 19, 2013 3:20:29 PM
NVO - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (December 19) said he has not met with former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden to whom Russia granted political asylum this year but that he envied him.
At a packed annual news conference in Moscow, Putin said he did not personally know Snowden.
"I have never met him. He has his own views about life, about what he should do and how. I won't hide it that he seems very interesting to me," said Putin, 61, adding that Russian intelligenceagencies had not made contact with Snowden.Documents leaked by Snowden have revealed details of widespread surveillance by the National Security Agency (NSA) and ignited a furore over the agency's spying.
Putin, who looked relaxed and confident at his annual question-and-answer session with hundreds of journalists from across Russia and which is broadcast across the nation, said he even envied Snowden.
"I envy him because he is able to do this, and nobody will do anything to him for that. There is not much to rejoice about all this though. But on the other hand, there is no big reason to be unhappy about it either."
Snowden is living in Russia under temporary asylum that is due to expire in August.
On Tuesday (December 17) the former NSA contractor made a case for asylum in Brazil, a request he has previously made but which remains unanswered.
In "An Open Letter to the Brazilian People," published by newspaper Folha De S. Paulo, Snowden said he would like to assist in a congressional probe into the NSA's spying programme, which monitored the personal communications of President Dilma Rousseff and other Brazilians.