Putin claims he stayed at Tony Blair’s house and drank coffee in their pyjamas

A pyjama party with a cosy morning coffee sounds like something you’d see in Gilmore Girls – but it was Vladimir Putin who was remembering a morning like this.

Yesterday, while speaking at the Valdai discussion club, the Russian leader spoke about a former meeting with Sir Tony Blair.

‘I know him personally, more than anything else. I was a guest and spent the night at home with him.

‘We drank coffee in pyjamas in the morning. Was the coffee good? Yes, quite,’ he smiled.

Putin is likely referring to his 2001 visit to Chequers with Blair, the traditional country retreat of British prime ministers in Buckinghamshire.

But Putin and Blair have worked together in the past – in more ways than just sharing coffee after a sleepover.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that the UK pledged more than £35 million to Putin’s Russia through ‘eye-catching’ projects supported by Blair’s government.

Millions of pounds were earmarked for initiatives including retraining military officers for civilian life, some ‘cyber-centres’ and management training in the president’s name.  

Cabinet ministers were presented with a round-up of ‘bilateral activity’ as they prepared for Putin’s visit to the UK in December 2001.

The attempt at ‘soft power’ ultimately failed, with Putin ordering the first round of military aggression against Ukraine in 2014, followed by the all-out attack three years ago. 

Blair has also been tied to the recent announcement that Blair will be involved in the ‘Peace Board’ of Trump’s proposed Gaza ceasefire.

His involvement has raised eyebrows, but his experience in helping to bring an end to conflicts has also been praised by some.

Blair, who took the UK into the Iraq War in 2003, served as Middle East envoy for the quartet of international powers – the US, the EU, Russia and the UN – after leaving office.

Recently, he has been part of high-level planning talks with the US and other parties about the future of Gaza.

Responding to Monday’s announcement, Blair said Trump’s plan is ‘bold and intelligent’ and offers ‘the best chance’ of ending the war.

Dr Dafydd Townley, a member of the University of Portsmouth Military Education Team and senior teaching fellow in International Security, told Metro the pairing of Trump and Blair could be beneficial.

‘Blair has a history of working with those from the opposite end of the political spectrum, such as George W. Bush, with whom he had a very good relationship, along with his cabinet. So, you might expect that Blair is rather pragmatic in his approach to international relations,’ he said.

‘He still has a great deal of international respect. A lot of his tarnished reputation is within the UK. If you were looking at former prime ministers in this country who might be involved in this agreement, Blair is somebody who can reach across the international divide.’