Russian officials made it clear last week that after months of contradictory statements that they will place no ban on adoptions involving Americans. Andrei A. Fursenko, the Russian education and science minister, went against other ministers, who last month stated that there would be no new adoptions until new regulations between Russia and the United States were put in place.
Although Fursenko contradicted other ministers, it appears that his words have more weight due to his involvement with Russia’s adoption agency.
Russian officials wanted new agreements after Artyom Savelyev, a child adopted by a single American mom, was sent back to the United States. The adoptive mother, who lives in Tennessee, claimed that Savelyev was too violent to be taken care of. The mother claimed that the adoption agency in Russia lied to her about his conditions. Russian officials still assert that nothing is wrong with the child.
The State Department stated in a New York Times article that it never received word from Russia that adoptions between the two countries were frozen.
Americans wanting to adopt children from Russia will have to wait and see if relations between the two countries continue as is or sour.
