Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, who received asylum in Russia, is a “strange guy” who condemned himself to a difficult fate.
“You know, I sometimes thought about him, he is a strange guy,” Putin said in an interview with state-run television.
“How is he going to build his life? In effect, he condemned himself to a rather difficult life. I do not have the faintest idea about what he will do next,” Putin said.
The case has prompted US President Barack Obama to cancel a visit to Moscow for a bilateral summit ahead of the G20 summit in Saint Petersburg this week.
“Well, it’s clear we will not give him up, he can feel safe here. But what’s next?” Putin said, suggesting that Washington, which wants to put him on trial, may in time reconsider its stance.