Tony And Volodya Chat

British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday held wide-ranging talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he described as a "very capable," patriotic leader who wants to cure Russia's woes and maintain good relations with the West.

Blair and Putin, who have cultivated a casual, first-name relationship, sat down for three hours of talks in an ornate Kremlin hall, focusing on nuclear arms control, European security and bilateral economic ties.

"My meetings and talks with the British Prime Minister — who is very well-informed, competent and agreeable in all respects — have grown informal," Putin said after the talks.

Blair paid a high-profile, unofficial visit to Russia in March, when Putin was still acting president, and the trip was seen as an image-booster for Putin just ahead of the March 26 presidential election. Putin reciprocated by making Britain the first Western country he visited after being elected.

The two leaders also have talked to each other on the sidelines of several international summits, addressing each other as "Tony" and "Volodya."

Shortly after Blair arrived on Monday night, he and Putin met at a small beer hall, emphasizing the casual relationship.

"He is highly intelligent, very capable, knows what he wants for Russia and is prepared to listen," Blair said of Putin in an interview on Tuesday with the British Broadcasting Corporation. "He is someone who wants to do the right thing by his country and the outside world…and I think it is important that we therefore are alongside, helping him do that."

Blair brushed off Western concerns about press freedom in Russia and the war in Chechnya, saying that Putin was struggling with a difficult legacy from the Soviet past.

"I don't think it's surprising that he is, and presents himself, as a strong patriotic leader for Russia. I don't think it's a bad thing," he told the BBC. "The scale of the problems he is dealing with dwarf anything the rest of us have to deal with."

"It is important to realize the Russian concern about destabilization in Russia…their concern about acts of terrorism and sabotage," he said.

The statement echoed the Kremlin's contention that the military action in Chechnya is necessary to put down terrorists who aim to break Russian apart.

"It's just important that we get those things in balance and understand how he is trying to deal with these problems from his own perspective," Blair said in the BBC interview.

Putin, in turn, backed Blair on the sensitive issue of setting up a joint European security force, saying that Russia wouldn't try to oppose creation of one.

Speaking to reporters after the Kremlin talks, Blair said the new force was intended to make the continent more stable.

"There is no concept of a European Army," Blair said. "It's limited to peacekeeping, peace enforcement and humantarian missions."

Putin used the occasion to reassert Russia's strong opposition to talk in the United States of modifying the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty to build defenses against a possible missile threat by rogue nations.

Blair said in the BBC interview that London should encourage Russia to engage more closely in world affairs. "If Britain can play a role in that because of our strength, not just with Russia but within the European Union and with the United States of America, I think that is good for the world," Blair said.

Blair headed home on Tuesday afternoon.

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV