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Snowden and NSA leaks

US ambassador confirms Obama to visit Moscow in September

Michael McFaul denied a publication in which is cited a source saying that Obama might cancel his visit to Moscow in September if Edward Snowden is still in Russia

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, July 8 (Itar-Tass) - U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said he is busy preparing President Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to Moscow and St. Petersburg in September.

“I’m busy preparing President Obama’s trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg in September. I am very much looking forward to it,” McFaul said on his Twitter account on Monday, July 8.

The ambassador thus denied Kommersant’s article that quoted a source in the U.S. Department of State as saying that Obama might cancel his visit to Moscow in September if former CIA agent Edward Snowden is still in Russia by that time.

The Kremlin responded by saying that it was unaware of any such plans on the part of the U.S. administration.

“We are completely unaware of this,” presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told ITAR-TASS earlier in the day. “The visit is being prepared,” he added.

A Russian expert believes that Venezuela would be the best asylum for Snowden.

“Asylum for Snowden in Venezuela would be the best solution,” State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Alexei Pushkov wrote on his Twitter account. “That country is in acute conflict with the United States and this can’t make things worse.”

“In fact, he can’t live at Sheremetyevo [Airport in Moscow],” he added.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro offered “humanitarian asylum” to Snowden in order “to protect him from prosecution of the world’s most powerful governments.”

Maduro made the offer on Friday, July 5, addressing a military parade marking the 202nd anniversary of the country’s independence.

In his opinion, Snowden “did nothing but say the truth” and got prosecuted “by the most powerful empire in the world”.

The Kremlin said Obama’s visit to Russia scheduled for this autumn may begin in Moscow and continue in St. Petersburg where a G20 summit is to be held on September 5-6.

“We proposed a full-scale visit [by Obama], the invitation was handed over last year and we will now be working on concrete parameters of this visit,” presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said earlier.

“We would prefer it [the visit] to take place in Moscow and then the two presidents could continue working at the G20 in St. Petersburg,” he said.

At the same time, the aide said the programme of the visit “is not fully agreed yet.”

“This is routine diplomatic work. There will be a meeting of the two presidents in Northern Ireland first [at the G8 summit on June 17-18],” Ushakov said.

Snowden says no chance he can win Nobel Peace Prize

In January 2021, Mairead Maguire, the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize winner, nominated Edward Snowden, Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning for the prize

Argentina applies for status of NATO’s global partner

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Hossein Amir-Abdollahian added that prior to the attack, Tehran said that it would not target US military infrastructure in the Middle East "except in a situation where the United States wants to take military measures in support of Israel"

French president says creating Israeli-type air defense network for Ukraine impossible

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"The UN history has precedents when states were not admitted on their first try. The number of attempts is not limited," Nadezhda Sokolova said

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Earlier on Wednesday, Georgia’s parliament passed the foreign agents bill in the first reading

German prosecutors confirm they have two suspected Russian agents in custody

According to prosecutors, Dieter S. asserted his readiness to carry out attacks, above all, against military infrastructure, but also industrial facilities

Kazakhstan to sign new agreement with Russia on border checkpoints

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Germany fails to present evidence in case of espionage suspects — Russian embassy

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Vehicles, equipment participating in Victory Day parade depart for Moscow — ministry

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Kremlin condemns 'illegal' seizure of villa from Russian businessman

Dmitry Peskov underscored that Moscow has already made its position clear on this matter

Germany moves to exclude Russia from concentration camp liberation celebrations

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"There are increasingly fewer people willing to discuss this subject with Kiev’s envoys, let alone going there," Rodion Miroshnik stressed

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Maria Zakharova noted the need to "wait for official information from the investigation"

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State trials of S-500 are under way at a testing range in southern Russia

West, Kiev indulge in nuclear blackmail by demanding control of ZNPP — Russian MFA

"Without noticing it themselves, they spoke the language of an ultimatum," Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova underlined

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Ukrainian president signs law tightening mobilization rules

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Ukrainian president admits Russian troops’ advancement

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Russia-China military-technical cooperation not directed against other states — diplomat

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Russian Aerospace Forces strike five militant hideouts in Syria’s Homs

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US blackmails other countries at United Nations — Russian mission

Dmitry Polyansky said "this shameful neocolonial tactics are fully exposed now in the context of Gaza War"

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Polish premier refuses to hand over his country’s Patriot systems to Ukraine

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German MFA summons Russian ambassador after detention of espionage suspects — newspaper

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Russia says its forces repel four Ukrainian counterattacks in Kupyansk area

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EU summit calls to continue work on duties on Russian, Belarusian agricultural produce

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