Pushkov: Europe's outrage over US phone tapping will not last long

Russian State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Alexei Pushkov believed that the scandal sparked by revelations that US intelligence agencies monitored European leaders' phone conversations will soon fizzle out because the European leadership is dependent on Washington. "The administration of (US President Barack) Obama does not seem to be particularly troubled by Europe's anger over this electronic surveillance. Europe's outrage will calm down soon. Its leaders depend too much on the US," Pushkov said on his Twitter page on Wednesday, Voice of Russia reported. Ex-US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden disclosed that NSA was monitoring communications of the governments of Germany, Italy, Greece, France and other European countries. The leaders of most European countries were angered by these reports and demanded an explanation from Washington.