Russian President Vladimir Putin is dialing back his initial offer of asylum to NSA leaker Edward Snowden, now saying that Snowden will have to stop revealing American secrets first.

“If he wants to go somewhere and there are those who would take him, he is welcome to do so,” Putin said at a news conference.  “If he wants to stay here, there is one condition: He must stop his activities aimed at inflicting damage on our American partners, no matter how strange it may sound coming from my lips.”

Putin believes Snowden has no intention of shutting off the flow of information.  He also said he still has no intention of sending Snowden back to the United States.  This allows Putin to maintain face with his base while tempering anger from American officials.

Earlier in the Snowden saga, Putin had offered asylum to the man that the US now wants to put on trial for leaking top-secret documents pertaining to the National Security Agency’s worldwide electronic eavesdropping.  The Russian president is choosing his words a lot more carefully now that Snowden might actually try to stay.

“The UK citizen Sarah Harrison passed on a request by Edward Snowden to be granted political asylum,” said Kim Shevchenko, a staff member at Moscow's Sheremtyevo airport’s consular department.  Harrison is with WikiLeaks, which has been trying to assist Snowden during his attempt to find a home beyond the reach of US law enforcement.  Snowden remains hunkered down in a capsule hotel in the Moscow Airport.

The Russian newspaper Izvestia is speculating that President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela would take Snowden with him when he leaves Moscow, where he is attending a summit of has-exporting nations.  Maduro and Putin are expected to discuss Snowden on Tuesday.