A U.S. senator has written to the Russian ambassador urging Moscow to turn over former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said in a letter that if the U.S. and Russia are to have a constructive relationship, Russia must cooperate with the US authorities and apprehend Snowden. Graham said the case is a critical test of the reset in relations between the two countries.
According to Graham, he is currently preparing a proposal on possible sanctions against Russia. "We are studying where we have leverage. I'm trying to put together a package of measures to show the Russians how serious we are," Graham said.
Republican senators are echoed by the Democrats: "It seems to me that the Russians actually have what it takes to give him (Snowden) to us, and they should do it. If they do not, it is an obvious challenge to our relationship," RIA Novosti quotes the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Menendez.
