Russia defies U.S., grants Snowden asylum
MOSCOW — Defying the United States, Russia granted Edward Snowden temporary asylum on Thursday, allowing the National Security Agency leaker to slip out of the Moscow airport where he has been holed up for weeks in hopes of evading espionage charges back home. Russia appears to have reckoned that ending Snowden’s airport limbo was worth intensifying a political stand-off. The White House said it was “extremely disappointed” and warned the decision could derail a summit between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a statement from WikiLeaks, Snowden said, “I thank the Russian Federation for granting me asylum in accordance with its laws and international obligations.” But in Washington, “We are extremely disappointed that the Russian government would take this step despite our very clear and lawful requests in public and private that Mr. Snowden be expelled and returned to the United States,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney. Some responses from Washington were hotter. “Russia’s action today is a disgrace and a deliberate effort to embarrass the United States. It is a slap in the face of all Americans,” said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). “Now is the time to fundamentally rethink our relationship with Putin’s Russia.” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham called the asylum grant “a game-changer in our relationship with Russia . . . a sign of Vladimir Putin’s clear lack of respect for President Obama.”