Snowden on the run: the 7 most awkward moments between russia, china, and the u. S.

Russia, China, and the United States are the world's most powerful frenemies. Sure, President Obama might chill with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Palm Springs or sit for a photo-op

with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but when things get tough, their administrations get catty. Thanks to NSA secret-spiller Edward Snowden's recent world tour, tensions are

especially high. On Sunday, Hong Kong officials said he left for Moscow. Initial reports had Snowden departing Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport for Cuba, but when the plane took off, his

seat was empty. Russia, meanwhile, says that Snowden is still in the transit area of the Moscow airport, won't be extradited to the U.S., and is free to go where he pleases. Here are

some of the more indignant things Russian, Chinese, and U.S. officials have been saying during the Snowden diplomatic shell game. SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK Escape your echo chamber. Get the

facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. SUBSCRIBE & SAVE SIGN UP FOR THE WEEK'S FREE NEWSLETTERS From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News

Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your

inbox. JOHN KERRY ON SNOWDEN'S TRAVEL CHOICES "I suppose there's no small irony here — I mean, I wonder if Mr. Snowden chose China and Russia as assistants in his flight from

justice because they’re such powerful bastions of internet freedom." [_The Hill_] RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEI LAVROV PLAYS INNOCENT "He chose his itinerary on his own. We

learnt about it ... from the media. He has not crossed the Russian border. We consider the attempts to accuse the Russian side of violating U.S. laws, and practically of involvement in a

plot, to be absolutely groundless and unacceptable." [_Reuters_] A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com JOHN MCCAIN ON

RUSSIA'S "TOTAL LACK OF RESPECT" FOR THE UNITED STATES "It is well known that he is in Russia. It's reminiscent of the days of the Cold War when you hear a Russian

spokesman saying that he's not in Russia when every shred of evidence indicates that he is." [_The Hill_] SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-N.Y.) ON RUSSIA NOT BEING VERY NICE "The bottom

line is very simple: Allies are supposed to treat each other in decent ways, and Putin always seems almost eager to put a finger in the eye of the United States, whether it is Syria, Iran

and now, of course, with Snowden. I think it'll have serious consequences for the United States-Russia relationship." [ABC News] WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY JAY CARNEY DOESN'T

BELIEVE CHINA'S STORY "We are just not buying that this was a technical decision by a Hong Kong immigration official. This was a deliberate choice by the government to release a

fugitive despite a valid arrest warrant, and that decision unquestionably has a negative impact on the U.S.-China relationship." [_Los Angeles Times_] FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON HUA

CHUNYING THINKS THE U.S. SHOULD BE MORE CONCERNED WITH ITS DOMESTIC SPYING PROGRAM THAN WITH SNOWDEN "It is unreasonable for the U.S. to question Hong Kong's handling of affairs in

accordance with law, and the accusation against the Chinese central government is groundless ... I'd like to advise these people to hold up a mirror, reflect and take care of their own

situation first." [_New York Times_] THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY'S OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER SLAMS THE NSA'S GLOBAL REACH "Not only did the U.S. authorities not give us an

explanation and apology, it instead expressed dissatisfaction at the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for handling things in accordance with the law … In a sense, the United States

has gone from a model of human rights to an eavesdropper on personal privacy, the manipulator of the centralized power over the international internet, and the mad invader of other

countries' networks." [_RT_]