MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia received the geopolitical equivalent of manna from heaven when British voters opted to leave the European Union, speeding his long-term goal of weakening the most powerful alliance confronting the Kremlin as it seeks to rebuild its superpower muscles.



Officially, Moscow presented a somber facade, repeating its pre-vote stance that the British referendum was of little direct concern.

“This will certainly have consequences for Britain, for Europe and for us,” Mr. Putin told reporters on Friday at an Asian security conference in Uzbekistan. “The consequences will be global. They are inevitable. They will be both positive and negative.”

He added that only time would tell if the outcome was more positive or negative. “The markets will certainly decline, they have already declined,” he said, “but everything will be certainly restored.”