MOSCOW, July 1 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia would not hand former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden over to the United States but that if Snowden wants to stay in Russia he "must stop his work aimed at harming our American partners".

Snowden "is not a Russian agent", Putin said, repeating that Russian intelligence services were not working with the fugitive American, who is believed to remain in the transit area at a Moscow airport eight days after arriving from Hong Kong.

He said Snowden should choose his final destination and go there. (Reporting by Alissa de Carbonel; Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Douglas Busvine)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.