LOS ANGELES: US President Barack Obama has cancelled plans to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow next month, a move that is in retribution for Russia’s decision to grant temporary asylum to NSA leaker Edward Snowden.
Moreover, the move also reflects growing US frustration with Russia on an array of other issues, including missile defense and human rights.
“We’ll still work with Russia on issues where we can find common ground, but it was the unanimous view of the president and his national security team that a summit did not make sense in the current environment,” White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said.
The White House said that Obama still attends to plan the Group of 20 economic summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, but has no plans to meet with Putin there one-on-one.
Snowden, whose US passport has been revoked, was granted one year’s temporary asylum in Russia last Thursday, finally leaving the confines of the Moscow airport where he had been holed up since June 23. His new residence permit allows the former CIA employee to work and freely travel all across Russia.
The whistleblower is wanted in the US on espionage charges after revealing secret NSA surveillance programs to the public.
