U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden said Monday he had applied for Russian citizenship but would keep his U.S. nationality. 

The former American intelligence contractor, who revealed in 2013 that the U.S. government was spying on its citizens, has been living in exile in Russia since the revelations. 

"After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our son," Snowden tweeted weeks after he was granted permanent residency in Russia, and just days after his partner Lindsay Mills announced she was pregnant. 

The 37-year-old said that "in this era of pandemics and closed borders, we're applying for dual U.S.-Russian citizenship." 

Moscow only recently relaxed its strict citizenship laws to allow individuals to hold Russian passports without rejecting their original nationalities.

In the short thread, Snowden emphasized that he and Mills would "remain Americans, raising our son with all the values of the America we love – including the freedom to speak his mind." 

"And I look forward to the day I can return to the States, so the whole family can be reunited," he added. "Our greatest wish is that, wherever our son lives, he feels at home." 

Russia has already granted Snowden permanent residency rights, his lawyer said last month, a vital step towards Russian citizenship. 

Snowden is wanted in the United States on espionage charges after he leaked information showing that agents from the National Security Agency were collecting telephone records from millions of U.S. citizens. 

Earlier this year, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would "take a look" at pardoning Snowden but has not made further comment on the matter. 

(With input from AFP, Reuters)