In a major slap to the United States, the government of Hong Kong allowed whistleblower Edward Snowden to leave on a flight to Moscow, even though the US had cancelled Snowden’s passports two days earlier.

Snowden is believed to be resting in a capsule hotel in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport.  From there, Snowden is expected to get on a flight to Havana, and then proceed to Quito, Ecuador in South America, all with the accompaniment of a WikiLeaks legal team.  Ecuador has already granted refuge to Julian Assange in its London Embassy.

But before that happens, the US is doing all it can to pressure Russia to prevent Snowden from traveling any further.  Beyond diplomatic channels, American Lawmakers are warning of possible harm to US-Russian relations if Snowden was not handed over.

“Allies are supposed to treat each other in decent ways, and Putin always seems almost eager to put a finger in the eye of the United States, whether it is Syria, Iran, and now, of course, with Snowden,” said Senator Chuck Schumer, a highly influential lawmaker from the state of New York, in an interview on CNN. 

“That’s not how allies should treat one another, and I think it will have serious consequences for the United States-Russia relationship.”