Moscow - Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger signaled support Tuesday for the fledgling Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's pledges to respect human freedoms and the rule of law.

Kissinger, who still carries clout in Washington, met with Medvedev - at 42, half his visitor's age of 85 - in the Kremlin during one of his frequent trips to Russia.

"I have followed with great interest your becoming president and the plans you have put forward in some of your speeches," Kissinger said. "I wish you every success. It is important for Russia and important for the world."

The brief public remarks before the two talked over tea sounded like an endorsement of Medvedev's vows to hold human rights sacred and to protect people - from ordinary Russians to foreign investors - by fighting corruption and abuse of the justice system. Medvedev's words have prompted hopes in Russia and abroad for change from the approach of his predecessor, Vladimir Putin, who was widely accused of rolling back Russian democracy and using the justice system as a tool to strengthen the Kremlin's power.

But Medvedev, Putin's hand-picked successor, has also pledged continuity in the policies set by his mentor, and Kremlin critics warn that the difference has been mostly a matter of words, not deeds.

Kissinger, who was U.S. secretary of state during a period of wary relaxation in Cold War tension with the Soviet Union, met with Putin, now prime minister, several times during his two terms as Russia's president. The two expected to meet with him later Tuesday.

Medvedev said he welcomed the chance to discuss Russian-U.S. relations with Kissinger.

Ties have been badly frayed in recent years, with Russia accusing the U.S. of threatening its security through NATO expansion and plans for missile defense sites in Europe, and the U.S. chiding Putin for his intolerance of dissent.

Medvedev, inaugurated May 7, has also said he would follow Putin's foreign policy guidelines. He has tread close to Putin's path by criticizing the U.S., although in less fiery tones, and said last week he was "moderately optimistic" about ties with Washington.

According to the ITAR-Tass news agency, Kissinger told a conference Monday that it is not in the U.S. interest to weaken Russia or hold it back - as Putin has accused the West of seeking to do - and that Russia should not view Washington as an antagonist.