Lonnie Snowden said he had been asked several weeks ago about Edward, who is sought by the US for leaking details of electronic surveillance programmes.
However, he wants to know the FBI's intentions, he told Russian state TV.
He said his son would not get a fair trial in America and, if he were in his son's place, he would stay in Russia.
He described his son as a "true patriot" who had "made America a more democratic country" by revealing secret details of the US National Security Agency's surveillance programmes.
The interview was broadcast live, early in the morning, on the Russia 24 news channel. Mr Snowden spoke English, with a Russian translation.
Mr Snowden has been stuck in transit at a Moscow airport for more than a month as he has no valid travel documents. » | Wednesday, July 31, 2013
