U.S. ambassador to Moscow denies neglect of Snowden's situation

U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul has denied allegations he has shown no interest in the fate of the U.S. intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden.

"We clearly and frequently expressed our concerns to the Russian authorities," McFaul wrote on his Twitter account Monday.

Earlier in the day, Anatoly Kucherena, a Russian Public Chamber member assisting Snowden in his application for political asylum in Russia, called the U.S. Embassy's attitude to its citizen "inhumane."

"Inhumane position of the U.S. ambassador over his fellow citizen causes surprise," the Interfax news agency quoted Kucherena as saying.

"Whatever he is accused of, he is, in the first place, a human being in need of moral support," Kucherena said.

The lawyer said no embassy staff had expressed concern over Snowden's conditions during his month-long confinement in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.

Snowden, a 30-year-old former U.S. spy agency contractor, was charged by Washington with espionage following his disclosure in early June of massive secret phone and Internet surveillance programs of the U.S. National Security Agency.

Alexander Brod, head of the Moscow Human Rights Bureau, told Xinhua Kucherena's position on Snowden was "noble."

"Of course, the United States does not care about Snowden's comfort. They only think about how to get him, dead or alive," Brod said.

Last weekend, the White House hinted it was considering canceling a summit between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin as Moscow considers a temporary asylum request from Snowden.