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A lawyer of former agent of the US intelligence Edward Snowden said that Russia has no reasons for his extradition.

Russia has no reasons for extradition of Edward Snowden to the US, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing a lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, who represents interests of the former agent of the US intelligence.

Earlier, the NBC TV-channel reported, citing unnamed sources in the White House, that the US intelligence claims that Russia is considering a possibility of extradition of Snowden as a ‘gift’ for US President Donald Trump.

“It is not the first speculations on this subject. At first, such speculation came from former employees, former deputy chiefs of the intelligence. Then, this started to be discussed in Western media. Today, [such] messages have appeared again,” Kucherena said.

According to him, “Russia has no reasons for extradition of Edward Snowden to the US.”

“In fact, it turns out that we are constantly trying to be dragged the game: give back, pack, attach a bow and send. Russian is always provoked,” the lawyer noted.

However, Kucherena stressed that Russia “is not engaged in human trafficking.”

“Edward lives in a free country, works, can move freely both through the territory of Russia and other countries. And what is happening today, it is the so-called ‘high’ policy, it comes from the depth of the US the intelligence services,” he said. “All these ‘sources’, that’s all is from evil. Someone is crack-headed, someone cannot calm down. The issue, which now exists regarding Snowden, has been solved within the framework of the current legislation. Edward does not violate the law. Russia even does not think, does not cogitate on his extradition, it cannot be considered,” the lawyer stressed.

The US authorities suspect Snowden, who told media about surveillance programs of the special services of the US and the UK on the Internet, in the illegal transfer of information, relevant to the national security. In June 2013, Snowden fled from the US to Hong Kong, and then arrived in Moscow from there. At first, Russia provided him a provisional asylum for a year, and then – a three-year residence permit.

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