US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, who has applied for temporary asylum in Russia, does not rule out applying to become a citizen, a lawyer assisting him said on Wednesday.
"He does not rule out the possibility of asking for Russian citizenship," said prominent lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, who helped Snowden put together his asylum bid on Tuesday.
"He told me: 'I am not going to go anywhere'," said Kucherena, adding Snowden planned to stay in Russia for now.
Kucherena suggested that Snowden would soon be able to leave the transit zone of Sheremetyevo airport where he has been marooned for the past three weeks since arriving from Hong Kong on June 23.
"The process of applying for temporary asylum is rather simple," he said.
"He turns to the Federal Migration Service (FMS) and the FMS will give him a certificate within the next seven days that his documents have been accepted."
With the official certificate that an asylum application would grant him, Snowden will be able to leave the airport and move around freely, he said.
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