•  Zworf   ( @Zworf@beehaw.org ) 
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      9 months ago

      Does he really? I think it’s more like he got stuck there on his way to Ecuador and now he has no alternative but to “like” Putin :P

      After all his plan was never to stay in Russia.

        •  Zworf   ( @Zworf@beehaw.org ) 
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          9 months ago

          I know… But the point is, he’s stuck there.

          He had 2 choices:

          • Play ball and swear his oath and suck up a little to the godfather and live happily ever after
          • Kick up a stink against Putin and find himself falling out of a closed window (or, best case, being deported and spending his days in a max security prison).

          It’s not really like “free will” applies here :)

          Whatever the lawyer said is just the minimum required decorum IMO. Just politics. The oath is probably simply required to get the passport.

          Putin got to get one-over on the US and Snowden got to stay out of prison (well, in reality a really huge prison but still…). It’s a marriage of convenience.