Obama: Brexit will happen

247 with Reuters - US President Barack Obama said on Saturday (9) that he believes the United Kingdom will leave the European Union, despite speculation that the referendum decision would be reversed. Earlier, the British government responded that there will be no new consultation, after more than four million citizens signed a petition calling for a new plebiscite.

"I think we should assume that a referendum that went through a very careful process, a long campaign, and a relatively high turnout will happen," he said.

"We will remain friends, allies, partners, and we will continue to have strong relations on both sides of the Channel," the American president stated at a press conference during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Warsaw.

"Our main interest is to ensure that the negotiations and this process take place in the most orderly and sensitive way possible," he added.
Obama also stated that Europe can "always" count on the United States, "in good times and bad."

Obama also told the leaders of Germany, Italy, France and the United Kingdom that they must "preserve the stability and well-being of the European project," following the British decision to leave the European Union, a White House official said.

The leaders of NATO's five main members also met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to express their support for Kyiv, following Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula and its support for rebels in eastern Ukraine.

"The leaders agreed that Ukraine has made considerable progress in political, economic and anti-corruption reforms, but more work needs to be done to consolidate these gains," the official said.

"The leaders reaffirmed that the sanctions should only be lifted after Russia fulfills all of its Minsk obligations," the source added, referring to a peace process in eastern Ukraine.