“I own nothing in Russia. I have no loans in Russia. I don't have any deals in Russia.”Note what this doesn't say, and what it therefore allows. He denies having property, loans and business "in Russia", but he doesn't deny that Russians have invested in his businesses. It is evident that this is the case. He doesn't deny having loans in non-Russian banks with security from Russian oligarchs, which seems likely. He also doesn't deny having deals with Russians who are not currently in Russia. And, last but not least, he doesn't deny having had deals with Russia in the past, for example to save him from ruin around a decade ago.
Of course, not denying it does not imply a confirmation, but it's a possibility. Listen to exactly what he says. On this particular subject, he appears to be uncharacteristically careful with his choice of words, and his weasel wording is not really a denial of strong business ties to Russian interests, perhaps even a financial dependency on Russia.
