Kremlin: Snowden withdraws Russia asylum request

A Kremlin spokesman says NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has withdrawn his request for political asylum in Russia. This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Snowden to stop "harming Russia’s American partners" if he wanted to stay in the country.

The spokesman also says Snowden is still in the transit area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport. A statement by WikiLeaks released on Tuesday said in addition to Ecuador and Iceland, Snowden had made asylum requests to 19 countries. So far, Brazil, Poland and India have rejected his requests.

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