As World Powers Deal, Snowden Remains Hidden in a Russian Airport
Where in the world is Edward Snowden? As of now, it looks like he's still holed up somewhere in Russia's Sheremetyevo Airport, unable to leave as Ecuador considers his plea for asylum. Welcome to The Terminal 2.
Despite speculation that Snowden may have been picked up by a Venezuelan diplomat in Moscow, Russian authorities say the globetrotting fugitive is in the transit area of Sheremetyevo, according to Reuters (the "transit area" refers to the area between the plane's gate and the formal entryway into Russia). The common assumption is that Snowden will eventually book a flight to Havana, through which he'll then go on to Ecuador, which has already granted Snowden supporter Julian Assange asylum in its London embassy. But an Aeroflot representative told Reuters that Snowden and his legal assistant, Sarah Harrison, "are not flying today and not over the next three days."
Putin has made it known through a spokesperson that he wants Snowden gone as soon as possible, but Ecuador's Foreign Minister Richard Patino says a decision about whether to take in Snowden could take a while. "It took us two months to make a decision on Assange so do not expect us to make a decision sooner this time," he told reporters.
Though Ecuador appears to be the frontrunner in Snowden's bid for haven, some Russians are still pressing Putin to allow Snowden to stay, even as American officials secretly meet with Russian officials to try and resolve the Snowden situation without further embarrassment. Kirill Kabanov, a member of the Kremlin's Human Rights Council, almost sounded like he wants to keep Snowden just to win a pissing contest with Ecuador, telling state-run media outlet RIA, "We could provide him with some kind of asylum. Surely we are not weaker than Ecuador."
[Image via AP]