However, the failure to impose United Nations sanctions on Zimbabwe over its violent presidential elections was welcomed by the country's discredited leadership as a victory over racism and outside meddling in its internal affairs.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Russia's veto was "incomprehensible" but Russia said sanctions would have set a dangerous precedent of political interference. South Africa said the resolution would have hurt dialogue between the ruling Zanu-PF party and the opposition, while China stressed the sanctions could undermine power-sharing talks and would "complicate" rather than ease the conflict.

Miliband was yesterday forced to deny Britain's diplomacy at the G8 summit in Japan last week, and later at the UN, had been "ill-judged"

He insisted Britain and the US were right to put the resolution to a vote and accused Russia and China of sending mixed signals about their intentions.

"It is right that, in the end, people have to show their cards and the vote (on Friday] showed that, in the end, the Russians and the Chinese – I wouldn't quite say put two fingers up – but effectively they blocked action."

Miliband was particularly critical of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev who signed a statement calling for financial sanctions against regime figures in Zimbabwe.

"The Russians signed a G8 statement. Their President at the meeting agreed to the statement which called for, among other things, financial sanctions on the Mugabe regime. So the Prime Minister (Gordon Brown] was absolutely right in what he said," Miliband said.

The US-British resolution would have imposed an international travel ban on Mugabe and other leading regime figures, as well as freezing their financial assets overseas. It would also have instituted an international arms embargo on Zimbabwe.

The fear now is that the failure to secure sanctions will strengthen Mugabe's grip on power in the aftermath of bitterly disputed elections.

Miliband insisted however that Britain would seek to keep up pressure on the regime. "

We have got to make sure that the final hold Mugabe has on power, which is at a barrel of a gun, is as short as possible because the misery for those people is overwhelming."