MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has described United States (US) intelligence leaker Edward Snowden as “ a free man,” confirming that he is still in a Moscow airport transit zone and rejecting calls for his extradition to the United States.

In his first comments about the chase for Snowden that has captivated world attention, Putin on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) said that the former Central Intelligence Agency’s agent’s arrival in Moscow from Hong Kong was “completely unexpected” for the Russian authorities.