Furious White House threatens to cancel summit with Putin after Edward Snowden is granted asylum in Russia for a YEAR and leaves Moscow aiport

The U.S. whistle-blower had lacked necessary document he needed to cross into Russia and was kept in security areas in Moscow's airport

Snowden was taken to a secure location after receiving a one-year asylum status in Russia

Some officials there insist the saga will not damage Russia's ties with the U.S., but American politicians are hopping mad

The White House is now considering whether to call off a planned September bilateral meeting between Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin



The White House said Thursday that in the wake of Russia granting NSA leaked Edward Snowden temporary asylum, the Obama administration is 'evaluating the utility' of a planned September stop in Russia for bilateral talks with Vladimir Putin. And senators on both sides of the political aisle lashed out at Russia, calling for a re-examination of U.S.-Russian relations.

WikiLeaks tweeted that 'Edward Snowden was granted temporary asylum in Russia for a year and has now left Moscow airport under the care of WikiLeaks' Sarah Harrison.'

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said during his daily briefing that the administration is 'extremely disappointed' with Russia's move, and suggested that a Moscow discussion with Putin before the St. Petersburg G-20 summit could be in jeopardy.

But he added that the U.S. continues to talk with Russian officials in the hope that Russia will 'expel' Snowden and 'return him to the United States.'

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AFP correspondant Maria Antonova tweeted this screen grab from Russian TV station Rossiya 24 showing what they report is the back of Edward Snowden's head as he leaves the Moscow airport

Publicity: Snowden, centre, gave a press conference at Sheremetyevo airport on July 12, along with Sarah Harrison of WikiLeaks, left

But later in the press conference he couched that assessment, saying 'I don't want to speculate' about coming developments in how the U.S. regards Russia. He did confirm that President Obama will travel to St. Petersburg even if the bilateral talks in Moscow fall apart.



Senators on both sides of the aisle fired broadsides at Putin as the news of Snowden's release into Russia came in.

'Edward Snowden is a fugitive who belongs in a United States courtroom, not a free man deserving of asylum in Russia,' Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez said.

'Regardless of the fact that Russia is granting asylum for one year, this action is a setback to U.S.-Russia relations,' the New Jersey Democrat said. 'Edward Snowden will potentially do great damage to U.S. national security interests and the information he is leaking could aid terrorists and others around the world who want to do real harm to our country. Russia must return Snowden to face trial at home.'

Sen. John McCain (L) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) were among Republicans who lashed out Thursday. Graham said the U.S. has to 'make it clear to the Russian government that this provocative step in granting Snowden asylum will be met with a firm response'

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that the U.S. was re-evaluating whether President Obama would meet with Russian President Putin prior to a September G-20 summit. The release of Edward Snowden could completely reboot U.S.-Russian relations

A former U.S. diplomat who served in Russia told MailOnline that Menendez will not get what he wants.

'Putin is a megalomaniac,' the longtime foreign service official said. 'And there's practically nothing Obama can do to bring him to the table on this, short of threatening to nuke the Middle Eastern oil fields that keep the Russian economy churning.'



Robert Menendez, the Senate's top foreign relations legislator, said Snowden could 'do great damage to U.S. national security interests and the information he is leaking could aid terrorists and others around the world who want to do real harm to our country

On the Republican side of the ledger South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham called the move a 'game changer,' saying that releasing Snowden from his month-long limbo in Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport 'could not be more provocative and is a sign of Vladimir Putin's clear lack of respect for President Obama.'

'It is now time for Congress, hopefully in conjunction with the administration,' he said, 'to make it clear to the Russian government that this provocative step in granting Snowden asylum will be met with a firm response.'

Graham suggested last month that the U.S. should boycott the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia as a consequence of that nation's failure to extradite Snowden.



Arizona Sen. John McCain, a Republican who sits on the foreign relations committee, said in a statement that '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.'

A strong U.S. reaction may be in the offing sooner rather than later. A senior staffer of a Republican who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee told MailOnline that 'Russia is going to pay for this one way or another.'

'If were not in any position to hurt Putin economically, at least we can ramp up efforts to push him around in his Syrian proxy war,' the official said. 'I guarantee you - the wheels are already turning.'

McCain's statement seemed to be in sync with that viewpoint.

'Now is the time to fundamentally rethink our relationship with Putin’s Russia,' he said. 'We need to deal with the Russia that is, not the Russia we might wish for. We cannot allow today’s action by Putin to stand without serious repercussions.'



Snowden had been living in the airport since he arrived in Moscow, following his leak of classified intelligence documents to The Guardian newspaper.



His Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said on Thursday: 'I have just handed him the documents from the Russian Federal Migration Service. They allow him to leave the airport.'

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Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena shows a temporary document to allow Edward Snowden to cross the border into Russia

Russian police officers stand outside the embassy of Venezuela in Moscow, August 1, 2013. Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia have offered Snowden refuge but there are no direct commercial flights to Latin America and he was concerned the United States would intercept his flight to prevent him reaching his destination

He added: 'I have just seen him off. He has left for a secure location. Security is a very serious matter for him.'

Out: Edward Snowden has left the Moscow airport where he had been living for the past month

Snowden slipped out of the airport in a taxi without being spotted by the dozens of reporters and photographers who have camped out in the airport for weeks.



'He is the most wanted man on planet Earth,' his lawyer said. 'What do you think he is going to do? He has to think about his personal security. I cannot tell you where he is going.



'I put him in a taxi 15 to 20 minutes ago and gave him his certificate on getting refugee status in the Russian Federation. He can live wherever he wants in Russia. It's his personal choice.'



The 30-year-old has apparently agreed not to disclose any more classified information as a condition of his remaining in Russia.

But Carney, the Obama administration spokesman, declined to say Thursday whether Snowden still possesses information that could be damaging to the U.S.



Snowden faces living under strict curbs imposed by the Russian security agencies even though he has been allowed to move from his hideaway in an airport transit zone.

He arrived at Sheremetyevo from Hong Kong on June 23 but was unable to leave because the U.S. had revoked his passport.

The runaway's movements will initially be strictly curtailed, but President Vladimir Putin has denied his intelligence services are seeking secrets known to the former contractor for the National Security Agency. The revelation will fuel U.S. concerns that further sensitive data is in jeopardy and could fall into the hands of the Russian government. The White House has been ‘seeking clarity’ about Snowden's status. Vladimir Volokh, the head of the public council of the Russian Federal Migration Service, insisted: ‘He will only be allowed to stay in places designated by Russian law enforcement agencies.’ Kremlin official Yuri Ushakov insisted today that the long-running saga would not affect ties between the U.S. and Russia, saying Snowden's case was 'relatively insignificant'.



In demand: Kucherena said that Snowden had been inundated with job offers and attention from Russian women

Exit: Airport security staff secured an area yesterday in preparation for Snowden to leave the airport at last Gone: Snowden's lawyer Anatoly Kucherena announced that his client had been granted asylum He added: 'Our president has expressed hope many times that this will not affect the character of our relations.' Snowden has indicated he later hopes to secure exile in South America with offers from Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua, but this week his lawyer said he might apply for Russian citizenship. ‘Edward also asked me to thank all the women in Russia for offering him to marry them,’ added the lawyer. ‘He was in stitches of laughter when he heard that there were a lot of such proposals. ‘I passed him some clothes. I noticed that each time we meet he wears one and the same shirt.

‘So I went out and bought him some shirts and trousers so that he at least could have a chance to change. There is no laundry or ironing service in the conditions where he lives right now.’ Home: Snowden has been in Sheremetyevo Airport (pictured) since arriving from Hong Kong on June 23

Dragging on: View of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, which Snowden called home for a month

He brought the fugitive classic Russian books by Anton Chekhov, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel Crime and Punishment.

The novel is about the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of a poor ex-student who kills a pawnbroker for her cash, but Kucherena said: ‘I'm not implying he's going through a similar mental anguish.’



Russia has rejected White House calls for Snowden to be deported to the US to face espionage charges for leaking details of the NSA's wide-ranging spying activities targeting data and phone communication.



Volokh confirmed Snowden would ‘not be extradited to any country where his life might be in danger, because he has applied for asylum here.’ Putin demanded that Snowden stops leaking secrets damaging to the U.S. while he is in Russia.