Amid all the hair-pulling and general consternation over the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union, one figure has remained admirably above the fray: Barack Obama.

Obama was never in favor of Brexit, sternly telling an audience in London that a post-Brexit U.K. would be at the “back of the queue” for any trade deals to be negotiated with the United States. The British didn’t take kindly to that — his use of the word “queue” prompted speculation that the speech had been written by David Cameron’s staff — and theories have been put forth that his remark backfired, prompting British voters to rebel against the foreigner who had come to tell them how to determine their fate.

But since the Leave victory, Obama has taken on a calming, measured tone. A few days after the vote, he warned against the “hysteria” that seemed to have overtaken financial markets. The trans-Atlantic alliance would not fracture, he said; if all went right, and cooler heads prevailed, Britain could end up having the same relation to Europe as Norway does, meaning the “average person [would not] notice a big change.”

Obama has shown no signs of shifting his rhetoric. Speaking in Warsaw today, before the NATO leaders summit, he urged British and European leaders to avoid years-long, acrimonious negotiations, to work in a “pragmatic and cooperative fashion,” and to dismiss the plentiful “hyperbole” that has characterized post-Brexit discussions about the fate of the European project. His op-ed in the Financial Times today acknowledged that Brexit has created “uncertainty,” but insisted that the foundations of NATO remain strong. In taking this stance, Obama has made himself something of an anomaly among non-British politicians were opposed Brexit: On the other side of the spectrum, for instance, is Belgian prime minister Charles Michel, who has taken a very hard line on the prospect of the E.U. helping the U.K. navigate turbulent economic waters.

Why has Obama chosen to adopt such a measured stance on the ramifications of Brexit? I’d wager that a lot of it has to do with uncertainty. Brexit has engendered a great deal of uncertainty, and financial markets — and thus the global economy — don’t like uncertainty. By expressing confidence that Britain and Europe can weather the crisis with their heads held high and rhetorically reinforcing the stability of NATO, Obama creates a sense that the crisis isn’t all it’s made out to be. Uncertainty wreaks havoc, and Obama is doing what he can do reduce uncertainty. Whether that’ll work remains to be seen, but it’s an adroit strategy.