ANKARA, Turkey — The United States will not penalize Russia for backsliding on democracy, despite President Bush's inaugural promise to make promoting freedom the major theme of U.S. foreign policy, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday.

Rice, in Ankara to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to prepare for a Feb. 24 summit between Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin, was critical of recent trends in Russia. "It is no secret we have had concerns," she said.

But she said the United States would try to change Russia's course by persuasion, rather than by pressure tactics such as linking Moscow's bid to join the World Trade Organization to more political openness.

"I don't really think the isolation of Russia from the broader trends that are developing worldwide is the answer," Rice said. Slowing Russia's entry into the trade group "would be exactly the wrong thing to do," she said.

Rice's remarks seemed to confirm Bush's plans to continue to invest in Putin, with whom he has developed a close relationship.

But they appeared to raise questions about whether there are more than words behind Bush's inaugural address about freedom and last week's State of the Union speech.

More broadly, the U.S. approach could invite criticism, already prevalent in some countries, that Bush pursues two standards on democracy and human rights — one for adversaries and pariah states, another for friendly powers such as Russia, China and Saudi Arabia.

Throughout her weeklong trip to Europe and the Middle East, Rice has harshly criticized Iran, even suggesting the U.S. would like to see its unelected leaders removed.

According to the State Department, human-rights abuses in Russia are not nearly as bad as in Iran, and Russia backs the U.S. war on terrorism, whereas Iran sponsors numerous terrorist groups.

But in the past year, Putin has centralized political power in Russia, marginalizing opponents and squelching independent media. He intervened overtly in neighboring Ukraine's presidential election late last year.

"It is important that Russia make clear to the world that it is intent on strengthening the rule of law, strengthening the role of an independent judiciary, permitting a free and independent press to flourish. These are all the basics of democracy," Rice said in Warsaw, Poland, before flying to Turkey.

"And it is no secret we have had concerns about some of the developments in Russia," she said.

"But we're not going to stop working on it, we haven't stopped talking about it."

She said Russia is a valuable ally and partner in many areas, including the fight against terrorism and efforts to curtail the spread of nuclear arms.

On the agenda when Bush and Putin meet are Iraq; six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons; and Russia's support for Iran's civilian nuclear-power program, which the United States fears is a cover for nuclear-arms development.

Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.