"We are extremely disappointed that the Russian government would take this step despite our very clear and lawful requests in public and in private to have Snowden expelled to the US to face the charges against him," said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.u00a0

Snowden, an ex-CIA contractor, has leaked National Security Agency's secret telephone and Internet surveillance programme. Carney's comments were the first reaction from the Obama Administration after the Russian Federal Migration Service confirmed publicly that they have issued Snowden temporary asylum for one year and allowed him to leave the airport.