A U.S. State Department spokesman says Russia has not told the United States that American families will no longer be able to adopt Russian children.
P.J. Crowley said Thursday that the United States is seeking clarification from Moscow after a Russian foreign ministry official announced adoptions by Americans have been suspended until new safeguards are put in place.
Crowley said that the United States, like Russia, wants to see children placed in loving homes. He also said the U.S. is sending a team to Russia to address what he called serious and legitimate concerns about the adoption process.
Russian officials were outraged last week when a 7-year-old boy was sent back to Moscow alone by his adoptive American mother.
A note with the boy claimed Russian orphanage officials misled the adoptive mother when they failed to disclose that the boy has severe psychological problems.
Russian doctors who examined the boy after his return to Moscow say they have not found any problems with his condition.
The case of Artyom Savelyev - named Justin Hansen by his adoptive mother - prompted swift reaction at the Kremlin.
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev called the actions of the adoptive mother monstrous and immoral. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also voiced anger over the boy's treatment.
Following the boy's arrival back in Russia, officials there suspended the license of the U.S.-based group that organized the adoption.
U.S. officials say American families adopted more than 1,500 Russian children last year.
