The US has accused President Vladimir Putin of rolling back democracy and trampling rights, charges he denies.

On Friday talks about US plans to base a missile shield in Eastern Europe ended acrimoniously.

Following the tense meetings with Mr Putin and his defence and foreign ministers, Ms Rice and US Defence Secretary Robert Gates will pursue their own schedules on Saturday.

Wary Kremlin

Ms Rice plans to talk about democracy with representatives of Russian non-governmental organisations, while Mr Gates will address military students at the Academy of Russia's General Staff.

The secretary of state will have dinner later with her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, while the defence secretary will meet Viktor Zubkov, the prime minister.

Their trip comes as Russia prepares for parliamentary and presidential elections over the next five months, notes the BBC's Moscow correspondent Richard Galpin.

Mr Putin must step down in March after two terms in office.

But he has already hinted he may become prime minister and return as president in 2012, as the constitution allows.

Analysts say Ms Rice's visit to Russian non-governmental organisations could make the Kremlin wary.

The Russian Itar-Tass news agency said Mr Putin this week sounded a note of caution about NGOs in comments to visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

"It gets really bad, when such organisations start to be used by some states against other states as a tool in pursuit of their foreign policy aims," the agency quoted Mr Putin as saying.

Russia is furious at US plans to base an anti-missile system in its geographical backyard, in Poland and the Czech Republic.

But the White House team rejected Russian appeals at Friday's meetings in Moscow to halt the scheme.

Mr Putin was not convinced by US assurances that the system would be to counteract "rogue" states such as North Korea and Iran.

He threatened to abandon a key nuclear missile reduction treaty if Washington forged ahead with the plans.

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