Edward Snowden Granted Temporary Asylum, Leaves Moscow Airport

Edward Snowden has been granted temporary asylum from Russian officials and left the airport Thursday, according to his lawyer.

Attorney Anatoly Kucherena made an appearance on Russian television and said Russia had granted Snowden asylum for one year and provided a scanned copy of an official document approving his request.

Snowden thanked Russia for the asylum and criticized the Obama administration, saying it showed "no respect" for the law, according to a statement released by nonprofit secret-spilling website WikiLeaks.

White House spokesperson Jay Carney said the White House is "extremely disappointed" in Russia's decision to grant asylum to Snowden. The administration is currently reconsidering whether an already planned bilateral summit with President Obama and Putin should still occur this fall.

"He is accused of leaking classified information," Carney said about Snowden. "He should be returned to the United Stated as soon as possible."

The U.S. had been pressuring Russia to hand over Snowden to face prosecution for espionage, but Russian president Vladimir Putin explained Snowden was free to come to Russia without warning, explaining that Snowden's immigration status would be determined by the Federal Migration Services just like any other asylum seeker.

Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua all offered Snowden asylum in their countries, as well.