Russia's President Vladimir Putin welcomes the leaders of member countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Moscow, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Yuri Kochetkov, Pool) (The Associated Press)
MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin says a draft bill banning U.S. adoptions of Russian children is a legitimate response to a new U.S. law that calls for sanctions on Russians deemed to be human rights violators. But he has not committed to signing it.
He says the measure, which has received preliminary approval in parliament, is also a response to an alleged U.S. failure to protect the rights of adopted Russian children.
He said at his annual marathon news conference Thursday that while the majority of Americans who adopt Russian children are "kind and honorable," protection for abuse victims is insufficient.
The bill faces more steps before it can reach Putin for signature. He says, "I will make a decision depending on what is written there."
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