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Roundandroundwego His status is unique. Do you think Putin and his regime trust him when he has shown that he can be dangerous to his own country of origin? A country that he sacrificed a significant amount for before betraying said country. If you can’t see that he’s an asset of the Putin regime and if you don’t think they would use his value to repatriate one or more of their own and not even necessarily a criminal like Bout, but potentially someone that is not known to a wider audience like you and I, then you don’t understand international relations and diplomacy. Snowden had to negotiate his fate in Russia. He wasn’t even trying to live there, he was on his way to a South American (dictatorship) country that was going to offer him asylum. Getting stuck in the Moscow airport because the US was willing to force sovereign nations to abide by the will of the justice department (such as forcing a jet to land in Switzerland among other things) is the only reason that Snowden is in Russia in the first place.
He is still wanted by the United States and that’s what gives him value to Putin. Not the “secrets” that he has to share (which he said he would never do and only claims that he will reveal known details about past relationships and events).
He’s not a Russian national and therefore he’s subject to the will of the people in power in Russia and undoubtedly will be a bartering commodity in the right situation. This is not checkers or a child’s game, trading like for like. Loyalty is not something that is one dimensional or follows any set rules. Snowden must seriously consider that his personal safety in regards to his “freedom” and future dealings are all subject to change and therefore he will never have certainty about his fate. It’s an interesting situation that will likely remain fluid as long as he’s above ground and air breathing.
