Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the final Cabinet meeting of the year in the government headquarters in Moscow, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Government Press Service)
December 27, 2012 - 4:26 AM
MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin says he will sign a controversial bill banning Americans from adopting Russian children.
Putin told a televised meeting on Thursday that he "doesn't see any reasons" against the bill and said that he "intends to sign it" into law. The president said U.S. authorities deny access to adopted Russian children and lets Americans suspected of violence towards Russian adoptees go unpunished.
Critics say that the bill will deprive many Russian orphans of an opportunity to get a family.
The Russian parliament has voted for the bill, which is part of a larger measure by lawmakers retaliating against a recently signed U.S. law calling for sanctions against Russians deemed guilty of human rights violations.
UNICEF estimates that there are about 740,000 children without parental custody in Russia.
News from © The Associated Press, 2012