DHAKA: Brexit has weakened Europe and created uncertainties about its future, Russia’s deputy prime minister has said.

Arkady Dvorkovich explained to BBC Newsnight, “For Russia it’s important that Europe is strong. We need strong partners to go forward, and the British decision to leave Europe made Europe a little bit weaker at this point”.

Dvorkovich, who oversees economic policy for his government, argues that “the whole process (of Brexit)... creates uncertainties”.

So what about the argument, oft repeated by Remainers during the referendum campaign, that President Vladimir Putin was rooting for Brexit because he wanted to undermine European unity and see the British, as a consistent voice in favor of sanctions on Russia over its policy in Ukraine, removed from the counsels of the EU?

Dvorkovich answered, “That’s just not true”.

Echoing his president, the Russian deputy prime minister argued that the UK’s eventual withdrawal would not make a big difference to the European Union’s internal debates over sanctions.

Dvorkovich says that the economic platform against his country, which he characterized as “counter-productive, it brings losses to all parties”, was the result, even in Europe, “mostly (of) the influence of the United States”.

BDST: 1215 HRS, SEP 03, 2016
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