As the Russian ambassador flew out of London for Moscow, Mr Blair was last night maintaining his personal high-level diplomacy in a determined effort to shore up international support for the US-British assault on Iraq.
The British Prime Minister had telephone talks among others with Germany's Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schroder, President Chirac of France, the Italian Prime Minister, Mr Massimo d'Alema, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Crown Prince Abdullah, First Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia.
Despite Moscow's withdrawal of its ambassadors from London and Washington, and evident disquiet in China, France and a number of Arab nations, Downing Street said Mr Blair had met with "genuine understanding" if not support from those he had spoken to.
And in an article appearing in 10 newspapers across Europe this morning, Mr Blair declares war on the "faint hearts", insisting: "We have acted because we must act to counter a real and present danger from a tyrant who has never hesitated to use whatever weapons come to hand."
Mr Blair continues: "He has never once kept his word. The risk he poses is real, not theoretical."
The Defence Secretary, Mr George Robertson, played down the significance of the Russian move, and the Prime Minister's official spokesman maintained foreign disquiet was less than during similar crises in the past, particularly among Arab nations.
At a Ministry of Defence press conference, Mr Robertson praised the courage and skill of the British pilots who lined up in the "air armada" for the second and subsequent wave of strikes against Iraqi targets begun on Thursday. While the military assessment continued, Mr Robertson said, the missions had been successful. And he warned the strikes would continue "until we are satisfied that Saddam's military machine has been suitably damaged."
While all the Tornados engaged had returned safely to their Ali alSalem base in Kuwait, it was later confirmed that the bombers had encountered heavy flak over Iraq and that one Tornado had experienced technical difficulties.
Despite the bipartisan support for the government at Westminster, Mr William Hague, the Conservative leader, yesterday stepped up pressure on Mr Blair to define his war goals, again repeating his view that the removal of President Saddam from power should be the chief objective of Western policy.
From the opposite end of the political spectrum, Sir Edward Heath, a former prime minister, questioned the military aims of the offensive.
Joining the as-yet-small band of critics of the attacks on Iraq, Sir Edward told Radio 4 he always believed Britain and the US should "keep separate on these things". And while he would not go so far as to say the timing of the US-led attacks was connected to the impeachment proceedings in Washington, Sir Edward said: "The whole setting of this enterprise has been so dubious, especially when the President has his own domestic problems."
Asked about the military aims of the mission, Sir Edward replied: "They have not been clearly defined at all. If you ask what is the purpose there they have no answer. They do not even know whether they are going to carry on through Ramadan or not."