That's a very inaccurate representation of what happened. The U.S. was caught and presented with proof of gross misconduct and violation of their own Constitution. American politicians and political figures implied that Snowden would NOT receive a fair trial. Snowden, understandably, would request political asylum.
The U.S. intimidated and blackmailed potential countries where he might want to go to apply and this is yet another violation of International law, is it not? There's a pattern of corrupt and unethical actions from the highest political office in the U.S. Furthermore, Obama has reneged on his promise to offer and provide assistance for whistleblowers. It's not a surprise that he's lied yet again. The U.S. has provided political asylum for citizens of other countries. They've accepted applications but have they suddenly extradited any of these citizens back to their countries of origin or where they received their citizenship/passport? How many have they sent back to Russia? So, why is it pertinent that Russia suddenly is obligated to 'break the rules?' The U.S. is the one caught and they want someone to pay.
There's also the theory that this was orchestrated (the CIA/NSA theories) but I won't get into that. This thread is full of nonsense and irrational arguments but I find it funny when Americans call him a traitor based on the most absurd arguments. At least, construct your arguments with something that makes sense and is valid.