Russian President Vladimir Putin says that the government will not take advantage of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden’s expertise to uncover any spying within the country. “To speak in professional jargon, operatively speaking, we are not working with him, and we never worked with him. It is up to him to determine his future,” Putin said. “We are not going to help him, just give him shelter.”
In fact, Putin even expressed a sort of admiration for the U.S. surveillance system. “How do I feel about Obama after Snowden’s revelations? I envy him, because he can get away with it,” Putin said.
He also added that spying is “one of the oldest professions in the world, just like some other well-known professions—we won’t mention here.” Even for Putin though there are some boundaries that must be put in place. “On political level, it’s necessary to limit the appetite of special services with certain rules,” he said.
