"What the motives were to the leaks and all that, I can’t say directly," Obama admitted in an interview with NBC News, extracts of which were broadcast on Tuesday evening. "I know that experts have attributed this to the Russians."
However, Obama did not specify whether the anonymous "experts" he cited were official US government analysts or private individuals.
The US president admitted that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was still investigating the leaks and had come to no definitive conclusions about them.
"I think the FBI is investigating what happened… Anything is possible," he said.
Obama noted he was basing his speculation on the fact that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had expressed on previous occasions admiration or respect for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
