MOSCOW (AP) -
The State Department is criticizing an effort by Russian lawmakers to halt adoptions of Russian children by American parents.
Russia's Parliament has approved a bill to ban
Americans from adopting Russian children, and President Vladimir Putin
indicates he will sign the measure.
It's seen as retaliation for U.S. sanctions against
human rights violations in Russia, which were included in a
wide-ranging trade bill recently signed into law by President Barack
Obama.
State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell says
the U.S. regrets that Parliament approved the adoption ban, instead of
embracing an agreement the two countries reached last month.
Ventrell says, quote, "It is misguided to link the fate of children to unrelated political considerations."
The State Department says Americans have adopted more than 60,000 Russian children in the past 20 years.
Copyright 2012 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
