Moscow, Sep 17 (IANS): Relatives of Edward Snowden may visit Russia soon to meet the fugitive US intelligence whistleblower, his lawyer has said.

"I've sent an invitation, but he (Snowden's father Lon) has his plans. We talk with him nearly everyday now," Xinhua Tuesday quoted Snowden's lawyer Anatoly Kucherena as telling Russia Today television.

Snowden's mother and grandparents, he said, might also come to Russia.

"I won't tell you the date for the time being," the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

"He (Snowden) will decide himself how to act and what to do within the framework of his human rights activities," he said.

The lawyer also said Snowden was currently learning about Russian culture.

"He is walking, he can travel, and he is travelling, and therefore he is keen on learning our history," said Kucherena.

Snowden faces espionage charges in the US after disclosing a classified intelligence surveillance project code-named PRISM.

Russia granted him asylum Aug 1 amid calls by Washington to return him for a trial, which prompted US President Barack Obama to drop a scheduled bilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September.