Obama meets lawmakers over spying programmes

US President Barack Obama met a bipartisan group of lawmakers to discuss the leaked spying programmes, hours after Russia granted whistle-blower Edward Snowden a one-year asylum.

According to a statement released Thursday by the White House, the meeting was "constructive" and Obama vowed to continue to work closely with the Congress on these matters in the weeks and months ahead, Xinhua reported.

The scheduled meeting came after Russia granted one-year asylum to the former US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, who disclosed internet and telephone surveillance programs run by the National Security Agency.

Some US lawmakers have expressed outrage over Moscow's decision. In a statement, Senator John McCain called Russia's actions a deliberate effort to embarrass the US, which was "a slap in the face of all Americans".

House Speaker John Boehner urged Obama to engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the issue and resolve it in a way that is satisfactory to the American people.

Senator Robert Menendez, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Russia's asylum decision could hurt US-Russia relations.