Putin Says Snowden Should Have Resigned From NSA If Disliked Work at Agency

Former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden should have quit his job in the security service if he did not like the activities of the agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with US film director Oliver Stone.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Russian president added that he believed that Showden was not a traitor as he had not betrayed the interests of the United States and had not given the information to any country that "would have been pernicious to his own country or his own people."

"If he didn’t like anything at his work he should have simply resigned. But he went further. That’s his right. But since you are asking me whether it's right or wrong, I think it’s wrong," Putin said, speaking about the whistleblower in an interview partially released by the Newsweek media outlet on Thursday.

In 2013, Snowden leaked classified documents pertaining to mass surveillance practices carried out by US authorities around the globe. Later in the year, Russia granted the former NSA contractor temporary asylum for one year. In 2014, Snowden received a three-year residence permit to live in Russia, which was later extended until 2020.

The four-part Putin's interview is expected to be aired by the US Showtime TV channel on June 12-15.