With soaring oil revenues bolstering the Russian economy and Kremlin confidence, Medvedev brushed aside American criticism of his country's record on democracy and human rights. He also said that a revived Russia had a right to assume a larger role in a world economic system that he suggested should no longer be dominated by the United States.

Medvedev made his comments on Tuesday in a meeting with a small group of foreign journalists a day after the American treasury secretary, Henry Paulson Jr., appealed in Moscow for Russian investment in the United States. The symbolism of the visit resonated here, in that only a decade had passed since the Russian economy was in shambles and the country was desperate for Western aid.

Medvedev seemed to be seeking in the interview to raise his profile before attending the Group of 8 meeting of industrialized nations next week in Japan. Medvedev leads Russia in tandem with his predecessor and mentor, Vladimir Putin, who is now prime minister and is still widely considered Russia's pre-eminent leader.

In the interview, Medvedev was asked about a call by Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, to bar Russia from the Group of 8 because of its record on democracy. Medvedev, who easily won Russia's presidential election in March after the Kremlin hobbled the opposition, responded that the question of democracy was irrelevant to the Group of 8 and, besides, the United States had more pressing matters to attend to.

Some political analysts have described Medvedev as more liberal than Putin and others in the Kremlin, in part because Medvedev did not serve in the security services. ( Putin is a former KGB agent who was head of its successor agency, the FSB)

Medvedev often says his background as a lawyer plays a crucial role in his worldview, and when he was asked about his reputation, he returned to that theme. He said that when he was a student, he learned of the importance of the law, and of the right to private property. He said he also realized that there needed to be a struggle in Russia against what he has termed "legal nihilism."

"For me, these are the ideas that I absorbed when I studied at university, as well as the value of human rights," he said. "And in our country, they are based on the Constitution. Human rights and freedoms also must be defended unconditionally, and should be the priority of any government. It's up to you as to how this set of values should be described."

Asked about his political enemies, Medvedev conceded that some prominent people were disgruntled about his ascent, though he would not name them.

"I am positive that a certain number of politicians and a certain part of the population is not quite happy with the current configuration of power," he said. "But this is what is called democracy."

He added: "It would be ridiculous to name the destructive forces one by one. I am not an adherent of conspiracy theories. In real life, everything is so much simpler, if not banal."

IHT