Russia rejects US warning on Snowden

Russia’s foreign minister has rejected American demands to extradite National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, who has apparently stopped in Moscow while trying to evade US justice.

Sergey Lavrov said Snowden has not crossed the Russian border and insisted that Russia has nothing to do with him, his relations with US justice, or his travel plans.

He angrily criticised American demands for Snowden’s extradition and warnings of negative consequences if Moscow fails to comply.

Mr Lavrov said that accusing Russia of “violation of US laws and even some sort of conspiracy” with regard to Snowden is “absolutely ungrounded and unacceptable”.

He would not specify the location of Snowden, who booked a Havana-bound flight from Moscow yesterday but did not show up on the plane.