Former US intelligence agency contractor Edward Snowden will seek temporary political asylum in Russia, according to human rights groups that met him on Friday.
The Kremlin told Snowden, who has been on the run since disclosing details of US electronic surveillance programmes, that he should refrain from criticising the US if he wants refuge in Russia.
Participants in a meeting with human rights groups at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, where he has been stranded in the transit area since June 23, said Snowden would seek to travel on to Latin America.
"Snowden is serious about obtaining political asylum in the Russian Federation," said Vyacheslav Nikonov, a pro-Kremlin lawmaker who attended the meeting.
The Kremlin told Snowden, who has been on the run since disclosing details of US electronic surveillance programmes, that he should refrain from criticising the US if he wants refuge in Russia.
Participants in a meeting with human rights groups at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, where he has been stranded in the transit area since June 23, said Snowden would seek to travel on to Latin America.
"Snowden is serious about obtaining political asylum in the Russian Federation," said Vyacheslav Nikonov, a pro-Kremlin lawmaker who attended the meeting.