Vyacheslav Nikonov, a member of Russia's State Duma, receives interviews after a meeting with former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport, Russia, on July 12, 2013. Edward Snowden plans to apply for political asylum in Russia, a Russian parliamentarian said Friday after meeting with the stranded whistleblower. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)