Mel Levitsky discusses U.S.-Russia relations on 1320 WILS-AM radio

It's not in the best interests of Russia to award asylum to NSA leaker and fugitive Edward Snowden, Melvyn Levitsky told Michael Cohen of 1320 WILS-AM in an interview on July 2. Ambassador Levitsky, a retired career minister in the U.S. Foreign Service, served as officer in charge of U.S.-Soviet bilateral relations from 1975 to 1978.

"No country that values their relationship with the U.S. would want to have [Snowden]," Levitsky said, and characterized Russia's current relationship with the United States as "not friendly, but more normal," referring to the Cold War years in which tensions between the two countries raised fears of thermonuclear war.

Levitsky also discussed the aloof public relationship between President Obama and Russian president Vladimir Putin, and when asked his thoughts on Putin noted that, while he has considerable power, Putin doesn't seem to be "an adventurer…an expansionist."

Listen to the complete interview here.