Blair show of support for Putin's solution to the crisis

Tony Blair strongly defended Russia's response to the Moscow theatre siege yesterday, saying there were no risk-free solutions to such a crisis.

The Prime Minister brushed aside questions from MPs about the decision to use gas to incapacitate the 50 Chechen terrorists, which caused the death of 115 of the 117 hostages who died in the rescue operation. He told the Commons that the Russians would make further information available about the gas at a later stage, but insisted it was too early to know the full facts of what happened.

Mr Blair's strong support for Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, was aimed partly at securing his support for a new United Nations resolution on Iraq. Downing Street officials backed warnings by the United States that time was running out for the UN to reach agreement on the issue.

Mr Blair, who spoke to Mr Putin by telephone on Friday and Saturday, said: "I ask people to understand that when it was clear the terrorists were starting to execute the hostages, the Russian authorities had to act. I know how hard it will have been to make the right decisions. But there are no easy, no risk-free, no safe solutions to such a situation.

Iain Duncan Smith, the Tory leader, sympathised with the "huge and terrible dilemma" facing the Russian President, but said his party would want to know more about what weapons were used in the rescue which left hundreds dead or injured by the effects of gas.

Julian Lewis, the Tory MP for New Forest East, questioned the Russian authorities' decision to refuse to tell doctors treating the hostages about the nature of the gas used. Mr Blair replied that further answers would be given later, in the interest of security.