U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has told Russia's president that bringing the country into the World Trade Organization is a top priority for Washington.
Biden was meeting Wednesday with President Dmitry Medvedev on a trip focusing largely on economic issues.
The Obama administration regards integrating Russia into the world economy as key to its development and stability, and that has moved some traditional hot-button issues such as human rights to a lower priority.
Biden told Medvedev at his residence that although Russians may believe the United States holds the country to unreasonably high expectations, "the expectation is born out of admiration and respect, not out of disrepect."
WTO accession for Russia is "the most important item on our agenda," Biden said.
