Fugitive Edward Snowden has withdrawn his request for political asylum in Russia after Moscow told him he would have to stop leaking US intelligence reports.
The news comes after it emerged that the 30-year-old, who faces espionage charges in America, has asked for asylum in 21 countries, including 13 in Europe.
They include Poland, which has turned him down, while officials in Germany, Norway, Austria and Switzerland said he cannot apply for asylum from abroad.
Among the other countries approached are Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Finland, Ireland the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and India, which has also said 'no'.
Mr Snowden's about-turn on Russia apparently followed comments by President Vladimir Putin that he was welcome to stay in the country as long he stopped "harming our American partners".
Cuba's Raul Castro and Bolivia's Evo Morales are both being asked for help The former intelligence analyst, who is holed up the transit area at Moscow airport, has received a more encouraging response from Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.
He said on Tuesday that Caracas had not yet received an asylum request from him and would make a decision only when it did.
But he voiced sympathy with Mr Snowden's actions and described him as a champion of human rights.
"He deserves the world's protection. He has not asked us for it yet. When he does we will give our answer," Mr Maduro said during a visit to Moscow.
President Obama: Fierce criticism "We think this young person has done something very important for humanity, has done a favour to humanity, has spoken great truths to deconstruct a world that … is controlled by an imperialist American elite."
In contrast, Ecuador has said it is not considering Mr Snowden's asylum request and never intended to facilitate his flight from Hong Kong, to Moscow on June 23.
President Rafael Correa told The Guardian newspaper the whistle blower was Russia's responsibility and would have to reach Ecuadorean territory before the country would consider granting him asylum.
Mr Correa, speaking at the presidential palace in Quito, insisted his government had not intended to give Mr Snowden a temporary travel pass. "It was a mistake on our part," he said.
His comments came after the American wrote him a letter, praising Ecuador's "bravery" in considering his request for political asylum.
Mr Snowden has, meanwhile, accused US Presdent Barack Obama of denying him the right to asylum and of putting political pressure on countries he has approached.
In a statement published on the WikiLeaks website, he said Mr Obama was practising the "old, bad tools of political aggression".
"On Thursday, President Obama declared before the world that he would not permit any diplomatic "wheeling and dealing" over my case.
"Yet now it is being reported that after promising not to do so, the President ordered his Vice President to pressure the leaders of nations from which I have requested protection to deny my asylum petitions.
"This kind of deception from a world leader is not justice, and neither is the extralegal penalty of exile. These are the old, bad tools of political aggression. Their purpose is to frighten, not me, but those who would come after me."
Mr Snowden said the White House was "using citizenship as a weapon" and had denied him the right to seek asylum by revoking his passport, "leaving me a stateless person" and stopping him from "exercising a basic human right... the right to seek asylum".
He added: "In the end the Obama administration is not afraid of whistleblowers like me, Bradley Manning or Thomas Drake.
"We are stateless, imprisoned, or powerless. No, the Obama administration is afraid of you. It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be."
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