The sometimes strained relationship between Russia and Britain was back on a warmer footing today, after a meeting in which President Vladimir Putin backed Tony Blair's G8 vision of tackling poverty in Africa and climate change.

Mr Blair, who met Mr Putin at the presidential dacha of Novo-Ogaryevo outside Moscow this morning, said that he was confident that there was a "real prospect" of inspiring lasting change at next month's Gleneagles summit.

Ties between Britain and Russia have been strained in recent years, with diplomatic conflicts over the Iraq war, accusations about Russia's human rights record in Kosovo and Chechnya, and ill-feeling generated by Britain's agreement to grant asylum to a number of Russian super-rich 'oligarchs' fleeing their homeland.

At a joint press conference following the informal meeting, Mr Blair said the relationship was still "very strong", despite the cooling in recent years. On his G8 objectives - the formal reasons for his whirlwind diplomatic tour to Russia, Germany and France in the next 48 hours - Mr Blair said that he was optimistic about the progress made so far.

He acknowledged that "hard negotiations" still lie ahead on both issues, but described a deal reached during the weekend by the finance ministers of the leading industrial nations, to write off debt owed by 18 of the world’s poorest countries, most of them in Africa, as a "good omen" for the G8 summit.

Mr Blair said that there had been "a very broad measure of agreement" on the Gleneagles agenda, although he warned there was still "hard negotiating" to come.

In response, Mr Putin said: "We fully support the ideas put forward by the UK regarding the agenda of the upcoming meeting at Gleneagles."

He described the British views on the climate change issue as "very close to our approach."

He stressed that after wavering for years Russia, which will succeed Britain for the rotating G8 presidency, had become a party to the landmark Kyoto agreement last year and in an oblique reference to the United States added: "It is also important to work with those countries that did not accede to this process."

The Russian leader said he "on the whole" supported Britain’s drive to reduce African debt, but said he would also like to see some attention paid to trimming the debt burden still faced by several former Soviet republics states, such as Kurdistan and Moldova, which are not officially recognised as heavily indebted poor countries.

Mr Blair said: "I think there’s a real prospect of progress on Africa and on climate change. There’s obviously still a lot of hard negotiating to do."

He also gave a public explanation for his absence from the Russian commemoration on May 9 of the end of the Second World War - to which he instead despatched John Prescott.

Mr Blair said: "For reasons that you appreciate, because the commemoration took place on May 9 shortly after the British election and I was preoccupied with deciding the new government, I was unable to attend that commemoration.

"But I would like to take this opportunity of paying tribute to the courage and heroism and dedication of the Russian people and the Russian armed forces in the way that they resisted fascism and Nazism and therefore helped ensure that our generation lives in freedom.

"The co-operation between Britain and this country during the course of the Second World War was one of the main elements in bringing about the victory of the Allied Forces."

Following the discussions with Mr Putin, Mr Blair set off for Berlin where he will hold talks with Gerhard Schroeder, the Chancellor. Although these are nominally a continuation of the G8 preparations, they - and subsequent discussions with President Chirac tomorrow - are likely to be dominated by attempting to break the deadlock over Britain's rebate.

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