Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected allegations by British Prime Minister David Cameron that Russia improperly influenced public opinion in Britain ahead of a vote by Britons to leave the European Union.
Speaking to journalists in Tashkent on June 24, Putin said Cameron’s claim ahead of the June 23 vote that he would welcome Britain's departure from the EU had no grounds and was a manifestation of low political culture.
He said Russia did not interfere, is not interfering and won’t interfere -- and that the vote to leave the EU reflected Britain's unhappiness with migration, security concerns, and with EU bureaucracy.
Putin also said Britain’s departure from the EU would have both positive consequences for the global economy, and would have consequences on Russia’s economy as well.
He said the Kremlin would adjust economic policy, as necessary, in response to unfolding events.
But he predicted that negative consequences for stock markets around the world would correct themselves in the near future.
Putin also said he doesn’t expect the results of Britain’s referendum to influence the EU’s sanctions policy against Russia.
