US tones down Snowden demands as Venezuela considers giving him asylum

Venezuela has joined Ecuador in saying it would consider an asylum request from the fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Reports suggest he is in a transit area of a Moscow airport and Russian President Vladimir Putin says he cannot be extradited because he has not technically crossed the border.

It is thought Mr Snowden is staying in a pod-style hotel room.

The US has toned down demands that the fugitive National Security Agency leaker be expelled from the airport in a sign it believes he is not worth harming diplomatic relations with Russia.

The White House issued a measured, if pointed, statement yesterday asking again that Russia help the US capture Mr Snowden – but stopped far short of threatening a confrontation if he escapes.

It was a U-turn from tough talk against China a day earlier for letting Mr Snowden flee Hong Kong instead of sending him back to the US to face espionage charges for revealing classified national security surveillance programmes that critics say violate privacy rights.

Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking in Saudi Arabia, called for “calm and reasonableness” as Moscow and Washington danced around Mr Snowden’s fate.

“We would hope that Russia would not side with someone who is a fugitive from justice,” he said. “We’re not looking for a confrontation. We are not ordering anybody.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin also said he wished to avoid a diplomatic showdown over Mr Snowden, but he refused to back off his refusal to turn him over to the US.

“Mr Snowden is a free man, and the sooner he chooses his final destination the better it is for us and for him,” Mr Putin said.

“I hope it will not affect the business-like character of our relations with the US and I hope that our partners will understand that.”

Mr Snowden remained for a third day in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo Airport, and Mr Putin said he was out of Moscow’s reach since he had not passed through immigration and was, technically, not on Russian territory.

Mr Snowden was believed to be waiting to fly to an undisclosed location – most likely in South America or Iceland – that would give him political asylum despite frustrated US demands that he be extradited.

Experts predicted that Mr Putin, ultimately, will not stop Mr Snowden from leaving or take any steps to help the US catch him. But Washington may have to place Mr Snowden’s escape against the risk of damaging relations as the US and Russia negotiate a number of high-priority issues, including nuclear arms reductions and a peace settlement in Syria.

Mr Kerry is expected to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Brunei next week.