By Nick Assinder BBC News Online political correspondent

Blair wants strategic partnership with Putin

The relationship between Tony Blair and Vladimir Putin had hit the rocks over the war on Iraq and the prime minister's love affair with George Bush.

So Mr Blair flew to Moscow determined to put all that behind them and forge a new partnership with Mr Putin.

But the president was having none of it. He remained resolutely unmoved by the prime minister's schmoozing and a full blown divorce looks a real possibility.

He rejected the prime minister's call for the lifting of sanctions on Iraq and he continued to question the very basis for the war.

His rebuff to Tony Blair came at the same time four EU states, led by France and Germany, delivered their own post-war snub to the prime minister

They agreed to join an EU army during a summit in Brussels to which the prime minister was not even invited.

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Mr Blair was obviously dismayed by the continuing resistance to his determination to put the rows over the war into the past.

Standing next to Mr Putin, he again argued passionately for Russia, the EU, the UK and the US to work together as partners.

But on any number of international fronts there are now signs that the damage done in the preparation for war will not be easily repaired.

In some ways this is all payback time for the prime minister's refusal to bow to pressure from these countries over the war.

His determination to go ahead in the face of opposition and without a second UN resolution has clearly left a legacy of anger that is not about to be brushed under the carpet now the war is won.

Standing firm

The president's steadfastness undermined the entire visit to Moscow.

The prime minister was eager to build bridges in Moscow with this visit. Indeed, he was so eager he was prepared to spent twice as long travelling than actually meeting the president, in order to get the job done.

Pictures of the two men warmly shaking each other by the hand and walking in the woods near the presidents' dacha were designed to send out that healing message.

But the pre-war falling out was deeply serious and, like others in Europe, Mr Putin has lost nothing at home by standing firm.

It is still far too early to predict how all these divisions will be handled.

But if Tuesday's developments are anything to go by, there is an extremely difficult path to travel before the prime minister's vision of a world working in partnership looks anything like realistic.