MOSCOW, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed on Tuesday the U.S. extradition demand of Edward Snowden as "groundless and unacceptable," saying the fugitive U.S. intelligence leaker did not cross border into Russia.
"We deem absolutely groundless and unacceptable the attempts we are witnessing to accuse the Russian side of violation of U.S. laws," Lavrov told a press conference after talks with his Algerian colleague Murad Medelci.
A White House spokesman said on Monday that the United States has asked Russia to extradite Snowden charged with espionage and theft of government property following his disclosure of Washington's secreative surveillance programs.
"There are no legal grounds whatsoever for this behavior of U.S. officials," he said.
"I wish to say promptly that we have nothing to do with Snowden, his relations with the U.S. Department of Justice or his movements around the world," the minister said, adding "he picked his route on his own ... Snowden has not crossed the Russian border."
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