Russian President Vladimir Putin said the "traumatic effect" from Britain's vote to leave the European Union will be felt for a long time, although global market turbulence has subsided.
"The referendum results...have rocked the markets, but in the medium term everything will recover," he told a gathering of Russian diplomats in Moscow on June 30.
In other ways, he said without specifying, "it is clear that the traumatic effect from the results of the referendum will be felt for quite a long time."
Despite suspicions that Putin is relishing the prospect of political and economic turmoil in Britain and the EU, he insisted that Russia had no influence over the British vote on June 24.
"I would like to stress yet again that the so-called Brexit is the choice of the British people. We did not interfere with this process and are not tampering with it in anyway," he said.
"Now let's see how they will implement the principles of democracy," he said. Moscow "will closely follow how far the negotiations between London and Brussels go, and what the consequences will be for all of Europe and for us."
