MOSCOW – Secretary of State Rice balanced criticisms of the Kremlin’s democratic record with praise for Russia’s role as America’s “strategic partner” during a visit to Moscow that ended yesterday.

“Russia is not a strategic enemy. We are not against Russia,” Ms. Rice told Ekho Moskvy radio before meetings with President Putin and Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. “We see Russia as a strategic partner in the war on terror. We see Russia as a strategic partner in stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction. We see Russia as a strategic partner in solving regional issues like the Balkans and the Middle East.”

Ms. Rice struck an accommodating tone during her two-day visit to Russia, her first as America’s top diplomat.

She used the live radio phone-in to reassure Russians that recent American criticisms of Russia’s democratic development were not meant to isolate the country.

“All that we are saying is that for the U.S.-Russia relationship to really deepen and for Russia to gain its full potential, there needs to be democratic development,” she said. “There should not be so much concentration of power just in the presidency, there needs to be an independent media – so that the Russian people can debate and decide together the democratic future of Russia.”

Critics have accused Mr. Putin’s Kremlin of stifling democracy by abolishing elections for regional governors, jailing political opponents, and tightening state controls on the media. President Bush raised his concerns during a tense one-on-one meeting with Mr. Putin in Bratislava, Slovakia, in February.

Ms. Rice also said that America would be watching the outcome of the trial of the jailed chief executive of Russian oil giant Yukos, Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Mr. Khodorkovsky is facing up to 10 years in prison on charges of tax evasion and fraud. His defense alleges that the prosecution was politically motivated. A verdict is due on April 27.

“Everyone will be watching to see what the Yukos case says about the rule of law in Russia,” she said. “We and investors and the rest of the international community all hope that it is a process that inspires confidence.”

Mr. Lavrov, who briefed reporters after Ms. Rice met with Mr. Putin, said that the issue of Russian democracy had not been on the official agenda, but had been touched on.

“We naturally exchange views on any issue, as we have in the past. We do not have closed subjects,” he said. “We have given Condoleezza Rice additional information about the legislative grounds we create for developing democracy and market reform.”

Mr. Putin made no comments after the talks. Before the meeting, he told Ms. Rice: “With your direct participation, our relations with the United States have reached the high level which they have today. And we hope that this course will continue.”

The meeting was intended to discuss preparations for Mr. Bush’s visit to Moscow on May 9 for the 60th-anniversary ceremonies commemorating the Allied victory in Europe. Ms. Rice was also seeking assurances that Moscow is living up to commitments made in Bratislava concerning the safeguarding of nuclear materials. American lawmakers have repeatedly warned that Russia’s massive stockpile of nuclear materials is inadequately protected and that weapons-grade plutonium could fall into the hands of Al Qaeda or other terrorist groups.

Ms. Rice said in the radio interview that she had discussed the issue with the Russian defense minister, Sergei Ivanov, and had won assurances of improved access to Russian nuclear facilities. But Mr. Ivanov later denied that Moscow was considering allowing American inspectors to visit nuclear sites.

“Visits by U.S. inspectors to nuclear installations in Russia are not under consideration, this is not an issue,” he was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

Ms. Rice also raised the issue of Russia’s proposed sale of 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles to Venezuela, saying at a press conference with Mr. Lavrov that she made it clear to Russian officials that America opposes arms sales to Latin America and to Venezuela’s pro-Cuban government in particular. Mr. Lavrov countered that Russia is not breaking any international laws or its international commitments by cooperating militarily with Venezuela.

After her meetings in Moscow, Ms. Rice flew to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, where she was due to meet with NATO officials.

Ms. Rice, a former Soviet specialist, had said she hoped to practice her admittedly rusty Russian while in Moscow but ran into some linguistic trouble during the radio interview. Asked if she would ever run for president, she answered “Da (Yes)” before quickly realizing her mistake and hastily adding “Nyet, nyet, nyet (No)” – seven times.