Putin refuses to extradite Snowden

Russian president Vladimir Putin has said National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden is in the transit zone of a Moscow airport and will not be extradited to the United States.

Mr Putin said Mr Snowden hasn’t crossed the Russian border and is free to go anywhere.

He said the fugitive whistleblower's arrival in Moscow has been "unexpected" and that he has committed no crime in Russia.

Speaking on a visit to Finland, he added that Russian security agencies “didn’t work and aren’t working” with Mr Snowden. He gave no more details.

Commenting on a US request to extradite him, Mr Putin said Russia doesn’t have an extradition agreement with the US and thus would not meet the US request.

He voiced hope that Mr Snowden will depart as quickly as possible and that his stopover at Moscow’s airport wouldn’t affect bilateral ties.

His comments come after the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, urged Russia to be "calm", and hand over Mr Snowden.