The White House, angry over Russia’s consideration of temporary asylum for NSA information leaker Edward Snowden, may cancel a planned fall meeting between President Obama and President Vladimir Putin.
The Associated Press didn’t cite sources, but said the White House has wagged the option — and that it could ratchet up tensions between the two leaders.
White House officials speaking off-the-record said cancelling the meeting could also serve as a retaliatory action for Russia’s ongoing support of Syrian President Bashar Assad — in conflict with the position of the United States and the West, AP said.
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Publicly, the White House is touting its upcoming international summit in St. Petersburg, Russia — but noticeably omitting mention of the planned Moscow meetings.
“The president intends to travel to travel to Russia for the G-20 Summit,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said, AP reported. “And I have no further announcements to make beyond what we’ve said in the past about the president’s travel to Russia in the fall.”
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