Asylum Request by Edward Snowden Would be Considered: Kremlin Talk of asylum for US National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden has been quickly embraced by Russian government supporters. MOSCOW: Russia said on Tuesday that it could grant asylum to the fugitive former spy Edward Snowden, as US President Barack Obama came under pressure from Europe over American spying on emails and telephone records. Mr Snowden, a former CIA worker and intelligence contractor, is seeking refuge after fleeing the US for Hong Kong and releasing top secret National Security Agency (NSA) files to the media. Asked if the 29-year-old could claim asylum from Russia, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin told the newspaper Kommersant: "If such a request is received, it will be considered." Any attempt by the Kremlin to give refuge to Mr Snowden, amid calls for his prosecution under the US Espionage Act, is likely to infuriate the White House and provoke a major diplomatic stand-off. Tapping into lingering Cold War rivalries, such talk of asylum was quickly embraced by Russian government supporters. Alexei Pushkov, the head of the State Duma's international affairs committee, said: "By promising asylum to Snowden, Moscow undertakes protection of those persecuted according to political motives. In the United States there will be hysteria. They only recognise their own right to do that. Robert Shlegel, an influential MP with the ruling United Russia party, urged the Kremlin to consider such a move, saying: "That would be a good idea." Mr Snowden has said he plans to seek "asylum from any countries that believe in free speech and oppose the victimisation of global privacy," and suggested Iceland as one possibility. Russia's Federal Security Service has been given extensive and growing powers to spy on citizens under Mr Putin, prompting sharp criticism from civil rights advocates. Meanwhile, the European Union demanded assurances from Washington that Europeans were not having their rights infringed by the US surveillance system exposed by Mr Snowden's leaks. Viviane Reding, the EU justice commissioner, said she would meet Eric Holder, the US Attorney-General, on Friday and would seek assurances that Europeans' data protection rights were respected. "This case shows why a clear legal framework for the protection of personal data is not a luxury but a necessity," she said. One surveillance programme, code-named Prism, appears to give US intelligence officials extensive access to the emails and social network accounts of foreigners said to be under suspicion. Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist and dissident, criticised the US government for having a "Cold War mentality," adding: "The US is behaving like China." The Daily Telegraph