Former United States National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden still appears to be hiding in Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, where he has laid low since fleeing from Hong Kong on Sunday.
Snowden left the U.S. last week, following his leak of sensitive details concerning government-run surveillance programs. In efforts to bypass an extradition request from the United States, Snowden sought refuge abroad, Reuters reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that he had no plans to hand Snowden back over to the American government while en route to the airport in the European country's capitol.
He scoffed at U.S. accusations that Moscow was providing Snowden with aid, calling Washington's harsh rhetoric and demands to give Snowden back "ravings and rubbish."
When a journalist queried about the affair, Putin responded with a sly grin and a cryptic euphemism.
"I, myself, would prefer not to deal with these issues. It's like shearing a piglet: there's a lot of squealing, but there's little wool," he said.
According to national airline Aeroflot, Snowden had not booked any flights for the next three days.
"They are not flying today and not over the next three days," a representative at the transfer desk said, in response to questions of whether or not Snowden and his lawyer Sarah Harrison were scheduled to leave the country on an Aeroflot plane on Wednesday. "They are not in the system."
The public has not yet seen Snowden, but Russian officials claimed to Reuters that he is currently at the airport.
He has applied for asylum in Ecuador.
Putin said that Snowden is free to leave at this point.
"The sooner he chooses his final destination, the better it would be for us and for himself," the Russian president said.
Snowden awaits word back from Ecuador on whether or not he can make the South American country his next safe haven.
