Moscow ( CNN ) -- Fugitive American intelligence leaker Edward Snowden is likely to leave the transit zone in Moscow 's airport , where he 's been holed up for weeks , `` in the next few days , '' his lawyer said Wednesday . Snowden applied for temporary asylum in Russia on Tuesday from Sheremetyevo International Airport . He `` will leave ( the airport ) in the next few days because some legal papers are still required to be formalized , '' Russian attorney Anatoly Kucherena said in Moscow . Read more : Snowden 's transit zone mysteries . `` Therefore , I think this issue will be resolved within a week and after this , the question of granting him temporary asylum will be decided upon . '' A former National Security Agency contractor , Snowden admittedly leaked documents to the media that exposed sweeping U.S. electronic surveillance programs . He faces espionage charges . Kucharena , who helped Snowden file his application for asylum , said his client might be able to leave the airport while the request is considered . Interactive : Snowden 's options . Within a few days , Snowden should receive a certificate showing that the asylum request is under consideration , and that certificate will allow him to legally leave the airport 's transit area , the attorney said . It 's not clear whether Russia will decide to grant temporary asylum . Snowden has said he wants to stay while awaiting passage to Latin America . President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Snowden appeared to be `` shifting his position somewhat '' when it comes to meeting Russia 's conditions for asylum , according to state news agency Ria Novosti . He had earlier said that Snowden would have to `` stop his work aimed at harming our American partners '' if he wanted to stay . The Guardian journalist who broke the Snowden story and a spokesman for WikiLeaks have both indicated that Snowden could reveal more secrets . On Wednesday , Putin told reporters in Moscow that ties between the United States and Russia `` are far more important '' than any intelligence scandal . The Russian leader said that he believes that Snowden `` never intended to stay here , in Russia , forever . '' Snowden arrived in Moscow from Hong Kong on June 23 . He has been unable to leave because the United States revoked his passport . The presidents of Venezuela and Bolivia have said their countries would give Snowden asylum , and Nicaragua 's president said he would offer it `` if circumstances permit . '' UK intelligence agency did not break law , post-Snowden inquiry finds . Snowden appears likely to try to avoid the chance of U.S. capture even if Russia grants him papers to leave . Washington has no extradition agreement with Russia and FBI agents who work at the American Embassy have no authority to make arrests . The U.S. government has requested Russia expel Snowden . Absent that , it will watch carefully the route he takes if he tries to reach one of the Latin American countries willing to take him in . The United States could grab Snowden if any plane carrying him were to refuel in a country that respects U.S. arrest warrants . But he likely will be careful to avoid that scenario . Nevertheless , the United States has sent provisional arrest warrants to a number of countries where Snowden could either transit or seek asylum , a U.S. official said last week . CNN 's Carol Cratty in Washington contributed to this report .
Lawyer : Putin will leave Hong Kong 's Sheremetyevo Airport in the next few days . He applied for temporary asylum in Russia on Tuesday ; paperwork is pending . Snowden says U.S.-Russian ties `` are far more important '' than any intelligence scandal . Snowden has been in the airport transit zone since he left Moscow on Tuesday .