Vladimir Putin slams David Cameron for claiming he wanted a Brexit vote and denies his 'agents' had tried to swing the result - as China puts the boot into 'British democracy'

Vladimir Putin took an angry swipe at his outgoing foe David Cameron by denying he or his agents had sought to sway the Brexit decision. 

Speaking in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Russian President Putin hit back at campaign claims from the Prime Minister that he wanted Brexit to weaken Europe and divide the West, a claim echoed today by Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

This comes as Chinese state media offered snide criticism of the negative consequences of democracy after Britain voted to leave the EU - but vowed to stand by the 'golden age' of Sino-British ties.

Britain backed Brexit by a 52-48 margin in a shock result in Thursday's historic referendum. 

Russian president Vladimir Putin dismissed claims from David Cameron that Russia had sought a Brexit vote on Thursday as having 'no basis' 

Putin said today: 'Statements by the UK Prime Minister, Mr Cameron before this plebiscite where he stated Russia's position, have no basis and never did.

'I believe that this is nothing more than a flawed attempt to influence the public opinion in his own country.

'As we see, it didn't even have the desired... result.'

He added: 'I have already said that we never interfered, never spoke about this, and acted in my opinion very properly.

'And of course we closely followed what was going on, but did not affect this process and did not even attempt to do so.'

Russia reacted to Brexit with a streak of admiration for Britain in winning back its sovereignty - and predictions that Brussels has been fatally weakened by the historic vote.

Putin today visited Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing to oversee a series of deals in an ever-closer cooperation, as the two countries deepen ties in the face of growing tensions with the West.

Yesterday China called for Britain and the EU to reach agreement as soon as possible after Britain's vote to leave the bloc, adding that China respected the choice of the British people.

But today, influential Chinese tabloid the Global Times - published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily - wondered at the wisdom of such a momentous decision being decided by such relatively narrow margin.

'Is it really fair to decide Britain's future this way?' it said.

'For the Chinese people, who are at a critical time to learn about globalisation and democracy, they will continue to watch the consequence of Britain's embracing of a "democratic" referendum,' added the paper. 

In a front page commentary, the People's Daily overseas edition dismissed people wanting to 'stir up trouble and badmouth Sino-British ties'.

Relations between Britain and China have been warming over the past few years and economic links have multiplied, in what both countries refer to as a 'golden age' in ties - a concept promoted by President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Senior figures close to President Putin saw the result as a slap in the face for Barack Obama - who urged Britons to back 'Remain' - and forecast that EU sanctions damaging the Kremlin's economy could now be weakened or removed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) pictured today in Beijing, China

The main thrust was to view that the outcome of the seismic referendum was that key Russian enemies in the West are now on the ropes.

Strongly pro-Putin mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin said enthusiastically: 'The European Union will not stand up so fiercely for sanctions against us without Great Britain.'

Alexey Pushkov, head of the Russian parliament's international affairs committee, said: 'It is a political defeat for Barack Obama, who came to the UK and personally called to vote to remain part of the EU.' 

This close Putin ally said it was 'a bad day for EU leaders, as this weakens the organisation and will affect its further development' but it was a victory for Eurosceptics and Brexit fans.

'Great Britain is a former empire, which had been a world leader for two centuries and had determined European and global policy,' he said

'Having to obey the anonymous bureaucracy sitting in the Brussels corridors, and making decisions with which even the ruling circles disagreed, was a constant irritant for it with regard to the EU.'

Putin, pictured today on a state visit to China, mocked the Prime Minister for failing to secure the 'desired result' in his EU referendum 

Senior senator Andrei Klishas congratulated Britain 'on voting for its traditional values - the values, which over centuries, helped the country develop and succeed.'

Voters had opted 'for sovereignty of the British parliament' backing democracy and against dictatorship of the Brussels officials'.

Putin's business rights ombudsman Boris Titov predicted an independent Britain 'will only increase its attractiveness as a possible financial centre located between the United States and Europe and perhaps even between the USA and the East'.

He claimed 'the exit will split Europe and the Anglo-Saxons' arguing that the US had lost its key - British - foothold inside the EU, and with it key influence.

Soverignty 'remains the basis of a modern legal state' and 'the referendum in the UK once again has proved this basic provision'.

Mr Cameron, seen today at the Armed Forces Day parade, warned during the campaign Putin would have welcomed a Brexit vote because it would have weakened Europe 

Another senior senator Konstantin Kosachyov praised British voters for rejecting the vision of Eurocrats 'who kept pushing ahead with the European Union project' oblivious to its consequences on ordinary people.

There is now a real prospect for a 'domino effect' collapse of the EU because of Britain's absence, he claimed.

'The British exit will inspire the opponents of the European Union in other countries, and the efforts of the 'splitters' will lead to the collapse of the entire structure,' he said.

'It is not necessary, but possible.

'In any case, the balance within the EU is disturbed - the economic and political power of Germany will be deprived of a counterweight, since France is not strong enough for this role.

'The US will lose its 'warden' in the EU.

'It will change the political situation: without British 'supervision' the EU can go completely in the wrong direction.

'In general, the consequences will be serious.'

Ultranationalist party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky insisted: 'The British people have made the right choice.

'Rural working Britain said 'no' to the Union founded by the financial mafia and globalists.

'I suppose that now Germany and France will think about exit, and soon the whole EU will collapse.'

Putin's finance minister Anton Siluanov warned: 'For Russia this means a falling oil price, a weakening rouble and growth of the financial markets, volatility first of all.'

Regarding the 'Brexit' vote, Zhou said the PBOC was closely monitoring events and more study was needed to fully understand the implications of the decision.