Edward Snowden checked out of the Mira Hotel, Hong Kong, on Monday
A spokesman for the Russian president Vladimir Putin has said Moscow would be open to an approach from Mr Snowden.
Asked if asylum would be granted, Dmitry Peskov told Reuters: " It is impossible( to say) now. No one has applied yet. If he says: I request( political asylum), then we will consider it."
Mr Snowden told The Guardian his sole motive for leaking the documents was " to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them ".
He said he was willing to sacrifice a comfortable life " because I can ' t in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they ' re secretly building ".
Unsurprisingly, he paid for his principles on Tuesday with his employer Booz Allen confirming he had been fired from his $ 122k job " for violations of the firm ' s code of ethics ".
The Hong Kong-US extradition treaty, which allows for the exchange of criminal suspects in a formal process that also may involve the Chinese government, came into effect in 1998.
It says that authorities can hold a US suspect for up to 60 days after the United States submits a request indicating there is probable cause to believe the suspect violated US law.
In Mr Snowden ' s case, such a request could lead Hong Kong authorities to hold him while Washington prepares a formal extradition request.
His revelations have sent shockwaves across Washington, where several lawmakers called for the extradition and prosecution of the ex-CIA employee.
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