( CNN ) -- Edward Snowden is n't yet allowed to step outside the Moscow airport where he 's been holed up for weeks , despite reports to the contrary , his Russian lawyer , Anatoly Kucherena , said Wednesday . Russian media had reported Wednesday that the U.S. intelligence leaker was issued a document that would allow him to wait elsewhere in Russia while his request for temporary asylum was considered . But Kucherena , after meeting with Snowden in Sheremetyevo International Airport 's transit area Wednesday , told reporters that Snowden had n't received the certificate and that he would remain in the transit area for now . That certificate still could come at `` any time , '' Kucherena told CNN . Interactive : Snowden 's options . The news is the latest development in Snowden 's search for a place to settle after the United States charged him with espionage . The former National Security Agency contractor , who admitted last month to revealing sweeping U.S. electronic surveillance programs to the news media , left Hong Kong for Moscow on June 23 . Since then , he 's been unable to leave the airport 's transit area because the United States revoked his passport . White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday the U.S. government is seeking `` clarity '' about Snowden 's status . And a spokeswoman for Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington would find it `` disappointing '' if Snowden were allowed to leave the airport . Kerry spoke with his Russian counterpart , Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov , on Wednesday morning , spokeswoman Jen Psaki said . `` He reiterated our belief , which we stated publicly and privately , that Mr. Snowden needs to be returned to the U.S. , where he will face a fair trial , '' Psaki said . CNN exclusive : George W. Bush on Snowden . Snowden applied for temporary asylum in Russia on July 16 . If granted , he would be able to live in Russia , and even travel abroad , for at least a year , Kucherena said last week . A ruling on the application could take months . But Kucherena has said that the Russian government could issue him a certificate that would allow him to leave the airport and wait somewhere else in the country while the application is considered . On Wednesday , Kucherena said that he is in daily contact with Russian authorities about securing Snowden permission to leave the airport , state-run media outlet RIA Novosti reported . If Snowden is granted temporary asylum in Russia , it 's unclear whether he 'd try to move elsewhere . He 's previously indicated that he eventually wanted refuge in Latin America . But Kucherena suggested last week that Snowden might take his time in Russia . `` As far as I know , he 's planning to stay in Russia to learn Russian culture , Russian language and ( to ) live here , '' Kucherena told CNN last week . Washington has no extradition agreement with Russia , and FBI agents who work at the U.S. Embassy there have no authority to make arrests . Russian President Vladimir Putin said this month that Snowden would need to `` stop his work aimed at harming our American partners '' if he wanted to stay in the country . In a subsequent meeting with human rights activists and lawyers at the airport on July 12 , Snowden reportedly said he wanted temporary asylum in Russia while awaiting safe transit to Latin America , and added that he would not harm the United States in the future . Official : Snowden did n't access 'crown jewels ' of NSA intel . 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 . '' But he would need the legal ability to travel there -- something that temporary asylum in Russia could give him . The U.S. government has asked Russia to 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 probably 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 Phil Black , Alla Eshchenko , Jason Hanna and Carol Cratty contributed to this report .
NEW : Kerry calls in on Snowden . His lawyer says Snowden has n't received papers to leave Moscow 's airport . Snowden 's U.S. passport has been confiscated ; he 's been at the airport since October 23 . He 's charged with espionage in the United States after admitting he leaked data .